Chapter 114: Director, Of Course You Should Be More Confident

After getting up and freshening herself, Mei Niang glanced over at Guodong, who was smugly puffing himself up, and shook her head with a smile.

“Of course! When my man speaks, it’s final—what he says, he does.”

Hearing this, Guodong’s pride swelled noticeably. Among all things, in Mei Niang’s presence, he could truly feel the pride that defines a man. That sense of accomplishment was exactly what he needed.

Suddenly, he rolled off the bed and stood up, pulling Mei Niang into his arms. Feeling the strength of his embrace, she softened instantly and nestled into him. “What are you doing?”

Guodong whispered, “Ah, you’re such a teasing little enchantress. It’s a shame I didn’t devour you last night.”

“Regretting it now? It’s too late for that,” Mei Niang teased back, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Guodong shook his head with amusement before delivering a sharp slap to her behind.

The sound echoed through the room, instantly shifting the atmosphere. Mei Niang’s cheeks flushed crimson. Startled, she jumped away like a frightened rabbit, scolding, “Pervert!”

Guodong laughed heartily at her bashful reaction. “Weren’t you acting so tough just now?”

Mei Niang was left speechless, snorting coldly. “Alright, enough fooling around. Let’s hurry to the factory.”

Seeing her shy demeanor, Guodong shook his head, deciding not to tease her further. After all, she was his own.

The two of them bickered and teased their way until nearly eleven before leaving the guesthouse. As soon as they stepped out, Guodong took Mei Niang’s hand and headed straight for the Fengcheng No.1 Lathe Factory.

Today, the factory was alive with celebration — drums rolled and firecrackers exploded. Guodong’s recent trip to the provincial capital had secured exclusive agency rights for Fengcheng, revitalizing the entire factory. Previously, the old factory director had resigned himself to slim hopes, but Guodong’s efforts had breathed new life into the place.

As they passed through the factory gates, many workers clustered nearby, chatting excitedly and wearing broad smiles.

Yet Guodong’s heart wasn’t at ease. Without the smooth collaboration with Baldy and others, and without fooling Director Lu Zhigang, this might have been a near-impossible feat.

Quietly, he muttered to himself, “Who sent that letter to Director Wang? There must be a mole.”

“Of course, that’s where I come in. I need to root out that traitor; such a snake in the grass cannot be tolerated.”

The saying “no treachery is harder to guard against than that of one’s own household” rang painfully true. If this mole could stab them now during the bidding, bigger projects down the line could be sabotaged as well.

Just as they reached the office, several colleagues surrounded them.

“Hey, Guodong! Perfect timing. I was just about to come find you. The factory director is hosting a lunch today and wants to treat you.”

Guodong chuckled. “No problem. I’ll go see the director now. We need to report on this matter.”

Mei Niang kept her distance once inside the factory, standing quietly to the side as Guodong was stopped. But he pulled her over and said, “Mei Niang, you explain the details to them. I’ll go find the director.”

This was a subtle way to give her some practice in social interaction. After all, women’s status in society was still rather low unless they possessed extraordinary strength, connections, or held titles like women’s committee heads. But now, as Guodong’s appointed assistant, Mei Niang’s position was far from ordinary.

The colleagues began to whisper and speculate curiously about her, but Guodong paid them no mind and headed to the top floor to find the director’s office.

The director greeted him warmly. “Guodong, I didn’t expect you’d really secure this bidding project. You’ve truly brought the factory back to life.”

Guodong shook his head modestly. “Director, this was the task you assigned me. I had to deliver, both in quality and quantity.”

“The most important factor is that our factory genuinely has the capability,” he added.

The director’s expression darkened. “You’ve saved the factory, Guodong, but the challenges ahead will be tough.”

Puzzled, Guodong asked, “What difficulties remain now that the bidding is won?”

“Of course there are more challenges,” the director replied gravely. “The demand for lathes in this bid is enormous. The contract requires an annual output of 100,000 units, which our factory simply cannot meet with current capacity.”

The director’s worry was palpable. Compared to the third factory, their overall strength was lacking. The third factory could produce around 110,000 to 120,000 units annually under full operation, so 100,000 units was manageable for them. But the first factory’s maximum output hovered around 80,000 to 90,000 units. Reaching 100,000 in a year was indeed a steep hill to climb.

Guodong smiled lightly. “Director, don’t worry. Before we submitted the bid, didn’t we already apply to the Shen City government for funding? The allocation should come through soon, and once it does, we’ll add several new production lines here.”

“More lines mean higher capacity, so our output will increase directly.”

The director looked stunned. “Are you sure the funding will be approved? There have been rumors that the higher-ups plan to close two factories in Fengcheng.”

Guodong nodded. “I’ve heard that too. During the bidding process, Comrade Wang Chengzhi from the third factory mentioned the possibility of merging two factories.”

“After all, consolidating two factories would consume fewer resources than maintaining four.”

“But if a merger happens, since our factory won the agency rights, the other factories will likely be absorbed into ours. That means we’ll have absolute say in the matter.”