Chapter 179: Factory Shadows

Jin Guiyuan might have been sidelined, but he still kept his ‘Deputy Factory Director’ title for now, including a private office, a car, and a driver.

This was a deliberate arrangement Xu Zhiquan and Xu Chen had discussed.

“Deputy Director Jin” still got picked up and dropped off every day, clocking in and out on time, and even when he visited the nursery project, he rode in the factory’s black Nissan Skyline.

This subtly reminded the factory workers that back when the plant couldn’t even pay wages, Director Jin had still insisted on his car and full salary.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhiquan used this opportunity to bond with the hundreds of Mechanical Factory employees.

Whenever he wasn’t dealing with business or social obligations, he’d join them on the work sites, sweating through his clothes without a hint of a boss’s entitlement.

President Xu ate the same boxed meals as the workers and drank the same green bean soup.

These straightforward laborers realized that when Xu Zhiquan had claimed in the Grand Auditorium to be from a farming background and once a workshop director in the northeast, it wasn’t just empty talk.

This realization hit the honest, old state-factory workers hard, leaving them deeply impressed.

After all, the leaders at State-run Bright Factory had always been untouchable figures.

They wore polished shoes, sat in clean offices in the Comprehensive Building, and only handled meetings or visitors from outside.

Their rare visits to the workshops were just for showy pep talks and photo ops before they vanished.

Even Old Secretary Ji Yusheng, who now seemed all about hard work, had carried himself with authority back in his prime.

And don’t even mention Jin Guiyuan, who acted like a king when he parachuted in as a leader…

In comparison, the workers grew even more convinced of President Xu.

Plus, they’d seen him chatting easily with city and provincial leaders just days before, earning their respect.

This Xu not only rolled up his sleeves with the workers, leading from the front, but he also navigated high-level circles smoothly, landing all those nursery projects…

Clearly, Xu outshone the old Mechanical Factory leaders in both character and capability.

No wonder a local private entrepreneur like him could swallow up a state-run giant like State-run Bright Machinery Factory…

These hundreds of former Mechanical Factory workers started to genuinely believe that the factory’s bankruptcy and restructuring was a good thing, now that Xu and East Morning Star Co. had taken over.

One midday, Jin Guiyuan was sipping tea in his office when a phone call came in.

He glanced at the number and tensed up, rising from his chair.

Instead of answering right away, he locked his office door first.

Jin Guiyuan walked to the window, steadied his breath, and then hit the answer button.

He bowed his head slightly and responded respectfully before murmuring,

“No issues here. Those two security guards are tight-lipped, so don’t worry…”

“I’ve got their kids’ schooling under control—they won’t dare say a word…”

“Besides, they don’t know anything, so there’s nothing to pull out of them.”

“Those ledgers aren’t a big problem either—nothing came of the city investigation.”

“We hid them just in case, but even if they got hold of them, they’d make no sense…”

“The info in those ledgers is incomplete anyway, just a few insignificant entries without any payments or transactions—not a cent moved…”

That evening, Xu Chen took a taxi to Bright Factory.

As soon as he got out, he noticed two tall signs hung on the right side of the main gate.

“East Morning Star Incorporated” and “Chenfeng Technology Incorporated”.

The original sign for “Tiancheng State-run Bright Mechanical Factory” had been taken down.

The two young security guards at the gate spotted Xu Chen and called out, “Xu bro!”

These were naturally Zhao Feng’s guys.

Xu Chen rummaged in his backpack, pulled out two packs of cigarettes, and handed them over.

“Thanks, Xu bro!”

The factory grounds weren’t crowded; half the workers were helping on the high-speed nursery project, and the other half had been assigned by Fourth Uncle to planting areas west of the city.

In the factory’s workshops, a few workers were inspecting the machinery—these machines were slated for sale to free up some cash.

Xu Zhiquan had already lined up buyers; they’d be transported out soon…

Xu Chen crossed the grounds and headed to the Comprehensive Building.

On the second floor, he saw Zhao Feng and a few of his buddies lounging in the hallway.

“Xu bro!”

Spotting Xu Chen, Zhao Feng grinned and hurried over.

Xu Chen fished two packs of cigarettes from his bag and gave them to Zhao Feng.

“Share them with your guys!”

Zhao Feng looked a bit embarrassed:

“President Xu just paid us, and now you’re spending more—appreciate it!”

Xu Chen: “Where’s Teacher Fang Jun?”

Zhao Feng: “Still inside!”

Xu Chen: “Did she eat lunch?”

Zhao Feng: “Yeah, I brought it to her.”

Xu Chen reached the financial room door and knocked lightly.

After a moment, the door opened, and Fang Jun stood there.

Without a word, she stepped aside to let him in.

Xu Chen closed the door behind him and saw four large tables pushed together, covered in stacks of ledgers and files.

Xu Chen said, “You’ve worked hard, Teacher Fang Jun. Let me treat you to dinner later!”

Fang Jun: “It’s just part of the job. Almost done anyway!”

Xu Chen wandered over to the table and glanced at the ledgers.

Fang Jun tensed up:

“Don’t touch anything! Each one has a specific spot, even the angle matters!”

Xu Chen froze, hands up in surrender.

Fang Jun paused, looking embarrassed:

“Go sit inside for a bit while I sort this out.”

“Oh.”

Xu Chen nodded and headed to the inner room.

He grabbed a stool and sat down, then asked:

“Any leads on those ledgers?”

Fang Jun frowned, knowing exactly which ones he meant.

Before she could answer, another knock echoed from the door.

Fang Jun got up to open it, and Xu Zhiquan walked in with a smile.

Xu Zhiquan looked up, saw Xu Chen, and said with a grin:

“Xu Chen’s here already? I thought you’d be a bit longer…

Perfect timing—I just had Li Rui bring over a bunch of meat and veggies. Let’s head to the meeting room next door for dinner!”

As he spoke, Xu Zhiquan started toward the table piled with ledgers.

Fang Jun frowned again and said sternly:

“Stay back! Don’t touch a single paper—I’m still organizing!”

Xu Zhiquan jumped, then chuckled and turned to sit next to Xu Chen.

Fang Jun said nothing more and quickly sorted through the stacks of files on the table.

Her movements seemed random, but every stack followed a precise order.

She worked silently for about ten minutes before wrapping up the mess.

Fang Jun sighed, grabbed a bottle of water, took a big swig, and said:

“The accounts are mostly tallied. We can go over them in detail tomorrow, President Xu.”

Xu Zhiquan stood up:

“You’ve really put in the effort, Teacher Fang Jun. Once things calm down, I’ll give you a nice long break.”

Fang Jun flipped through a few of the hidden ledgers and added:

“I still haven’t found any issues with these hidden accounts.”

Xu Chen had come over:

“So, what’s in these ledgers?”

Fang Jun: “Just minor transactions and expenses—stuff like office supplies for logistics or ingredients for the cafeteria…”

“Plus some entries for transactions that never happened, but nothing stands out.”

Xu Chen: “What do you mean by transactions that never happened?”

Fang Jun: “They were set up but canceled for various reasons.”

“For example, this one: The cafeteria was going to buy a batch of beef for two thousand yuan, but something came up and they didn’t need it, so the transaction got pulled.”

“The factory’s financial rules were set by the old finance director years ago—all of this gets recorded.”

She paused, then continued:

“Or give me a bit more time.”

“These past few days, I’ve been focused on the fund accounts—those involve selling assets and paying debts, so they were urgent.”

“Now that’s sorted, I can dig deeper into these ledgers.”

“I’ll check every transaction carefully—something might turn up.”

“They wouldn’t have hidden them for nothing.”

Xu Chen flipped through the ledgers and said:

“That’s thousands of entries—how long will it take?”

He glanced at his father Xu Zhiquan and added:

“Dad, Zhao Jihong’s probably ready. Time to bring him in for a chat.”

Xu Zhiquan lit a cigarette and nodded slightly.

Fang Jun: “What do you mean?”

Xu Chen: “If Jin Guiyuan hid any secrets, the only one who might know is Chief Engineer Zhao Jihong.”

“From what I saw, those two were thick as thieves.”

“Now, it’s clear Jin Guiyuan arranged for those ledgers to be taken out.”

“Zhao Jihong might have some insight.”

Fang Jun thought for a moment and said:

“Jin Guiyuan and Chief Engineer Zhao Jihong were definitely in it together.”

“Back then, with the deputy directors fighting, they formed an alliance and took down the other two.”

Xu Zhiquan: “I’ve checked around—Zhao Jihong has no backing left.”

“When we took over Bright Factory, I made sure to remove him first to see if Jin Guiyuan would step in or if he could.”

“Obviously, Jin Guiyuan didn’t lift a finger.”

“Zhao Jihong must be bitter and resentful toward him now.”

“Talking to Zhao Jihong should loosen some info.”

Fang Jun frowned and said:

“I see no one can outmaneuver you two.”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily:

“Come on, let’s eat!”

In the main conference room, Li Rui and Zhao Feng had pushed two tables together and loaded them with takeout food.

This was from an outside restaurant, not the cafeteria.

These days, the factory cafeteria was mainly feeding the workers, preparing boxed meals and brewing big pots of green bean soup to haul to the sites…

Xu Zhiquan walked in with a smile, Xu Chen and Fang Jun following.

Li Rui, Zhao Feng, and the others quickly greeted them respectfully: “President Xu, Xu bro, Teacher Fang…”

Once Xu Zhiquan sat down, he noticed Li Rui and Zhao Feng hanging back, not joining the table.

He looked at Xu Chen and said:

“Get your guys to sit down—they’re being too formal with me, the chairman…”

Xu Chen smiled and turned to Li Rui and Zhao Feng:

“Come on, sit and eat—President Xu insists!”

Li Rui and Zhao Feng agreed and took their seats.

Xu Zhiquan picked up a pair of clean chopsticks and placed two pieces of braised pork into Fang Jun’s bowl:

“You’ve earned it, Teacher Fang Jun. Dig in!”

“I ordered this braised pork specially—you love it, right, Xu Chen said?”

Fang Jun paused, glancing at Xu Chen:

“How did you know I like it?”

Xu Chen chuckled: “You always ordered it on our Shanghai trips.”

Fang Jun: “I do like it, but I’m trying to cut back—dieting and all.”

She said it with a straight face but dove right in.

The next morning.

In the west of the city, at one of Chenxin Nurseries’ planting bases.

Former Chief Engineer Zhao Jihong was learning how to graft plants from Zhang Yongqing.

He approached it with serious focus, working diligently.

Xu Zhiquan strolled over, smoking, and said:

“Engineer Zhao, I didn’t expect to find you here!”

Zhao Jihong stood up, looking uneasy:

“I don’t have many skills, and I need to support my family… So I signed up with Director Yang.”

“Director Yang was kind enough to remember the old ties and put me here since I can’t handle heavy labor!”

Xu Zhiquan offered Zhao Jihong a cigarette and slung an arm around his shoulder:

“Come on, let’s have a chat, old friend!”

Under the open shelter, Xu Zhiquan and Zhao Jihong sat on bamboo chairs, smoking.

Xu Zhiquan was quiet for a moment before saying:

“I hope you understand, Engineer Zhao—we’re shifting to electric vehicles, so we can’t keep you as chief engineer anymore.”

Zhao Jihong: “I get it, President Xu. I’m not up on electric vehicles.”

“That’s why I shot down Director Yang’s electric tricycle plan back then…”

“I totally understand—it’s no one’s fault.”

Xu Zhiquan took a few more drags and said:

“I have a couple of friends who run parts factories—they could introduce you. They’re local in Tiancheng.”

“And there’s a factory in neighboring Zicheng with a few hundred employees; they’re looking for engineers…”

“It’s private, so it’ll be tougher than Bright Factory, but the pay’s better…”

Zhao Jihong smoked in silence, his face shifting, but he didn’t speak.

Xu Zhiquan continued:

“I know you just bought a place in the south of the city—got that mortgage to handle…”

“Your son wants a job in the west of the city, right? I happen to know some leaders there…”

Zhao Jihong stayed quiet for a bit before saying:

“President Xu, what do you really want from me?”

Xu Zhiquan tossed his cigarette butt and exhaled:

“When we took over the factory’s financial records, someone hid a few ledgers…”

“I want to know what’s in them.”

Zhao Jihong smoked a few more puffs:

“President Xu, I really don’t know…”

Xu Zhiquan smiled, pulled out a full pack of cigarettes, and handed it to Zhao Jihong:

“No problem. I just wanted to chat with you, Engineer Zhao.”

“If you feel like talking later, just give me a call!”

With that, Xu Zhiquan stood, hands behind his back, and walked away.