Chapter Seven: The Wager Won!

The brand-new machine tool had been produced!

From the outside, it looked no different from before. However, with something as precise as this, even the slightest error would result in the products coming off the line being defective.

Hu Mingyuan said, "Though it’s been made, I still need to have someone carry out an inspection!"

"What right do you have to call for an inspection?" Director Xu sneered, thinking that this man was either overstepping his authority or simply disregarding him as deputy director.

Though Hu Mingyuan was one of Wang Chenliang’s people, he was still, by rank, a subordinate. To disregard his factory director was laughable, to say the least.

Hu Mingyuan’s face stiffened and he quickly apologized. This was indeed outside the scope of his duties.

To be honest, Director Xu was nervous too—this concerned his own future. If the machine had really been fixed thanks to Shen Guodong, then not only would he be free of blame, he would have accomplished a great feat. That would give him the upper hand in his competition with Wang Chenliang; Shen Guodong would have performed a great service!

But if this failed, he would certainly be held responsible, and the factory would suffer a huge loss. Forget about promotion or getting rich; just keeping his current position would already be lucky.

Soon, people from the inspection department arrived to test the machine!

The commotion drew a crowd of onlookers, all eager to see the outcome.

Everyone was chattering at once.

"Did you hear? All the products from this production line have been defective. Shen Guodong claims he has a solution, so he made some adjustments and is starting production again!"

"How’s that possible? The line’s got issues—what could he possibly do? That lazy good-for-nothing doesn’t have any real skill, just loves to show off!"

"The production line was imported, but it’s all outdated equipment and technology. Probably useless!"

"Our factory’s performance was decent until Director Xu made such a blunder, causing massive losses. The material cost for one lathe is expensive, and the ones produced before were all defective, had to be scrapped! Now they’re trying again, and I heard Director Xu is covering the material costs himself. If it works, fine, the factory will pay, but if it fails—heh! He might lose all his savings over this."

Most people were voicing their distrust in Shen Guodong.

How could someone like him, a graduate from a mediocre technical school, possibly have the skills to turn the situation around? It seemed nearly impossible!

Many in the crowd were Wang Chenliang’s men, waiting to see Shen Guodong and Director Xu make fools of themselves.

"Are you confident?"

Director Xu was extremely tense, just as everyone said. This wasn’t only about his future—his lifetime of savings was on the line. If he failed, he’d be utterly ruined, with no way out.

"Don’t worry, Director Xu! I wouldn’t attempt something unless I was sure." Shen Guodong spoke with full confidence. This was no empty boast—if he couldn’t even handle this, wouldn’t he be letting down all the experience from his previous life?

Living life over!

Shen Guodong wasn’t here to play games—he had grand ambitions and lofty goals.

From the 1980s onward, opportunities would come wave after wave! The entertainment boom in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the rise of real estate, then the internet explosion of the 1990s—almost all the major internet companies of the future would emerge in that era. The real estate boom would begin in 2000!

Each of these opportunities, each new territory, was waiting for Shen Guodong to conquer. This was only the beginning—the start of a dream. Fengcheng belonged to the north, dominated by heavy industry.

With the national shift in industrial focus, the north would gradually decline, but for now there was one last chance. If he could seize it, Shen Guodong would amass his first fortune.

Among the four top-tier cities in the country, aside from the capital, Huadu was the center of trade, Modu of finance, and Kunpeng City of technology—each brimming with opportunities. Once he had his first bucket of gold, Shen Guodong planned to head south to seek his fortune.

That was the trend of the times.

In the era he was reborn into, the north’s economy couldn’t compare to the south’s. With three of the four top cities located in the south, the pattern was clear!

Even among the new first-tier cities, most were also in the south.

The future’s focus would be there.

Shen Guodong had a crystal-clear vision of what was to come.

Back to the present!

Several workers from the inspection department ran tests on the newly produced machine tool, their faces lighting up with surprise and delight.

"Congratulations, Director Xu! The product passed!" the inspector announced happily.

A long sigh of relief.

Director Xu finally let out a heavy breath, sweat pouring down his back. A weight was lifted from his heart at last!

Shen Guodong, on the other hand, appeared completely calm, as if nothing had happened—exactly as he expected, so of course he wasn’t surprised.

"Xiao Shen, you’ve done a great job! Come to my office after this," Director Xu said, giving Shen Guodong a hearty slap on the shoulder. If not for the fact that Shen was a man, he might have wanted to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Director Xu, you’re too kind! This is my home too," Shen Guodong replied with a calm smile.

"You’re quite something, kid. You’ve got real skills—keep it up and there’s no telling how far you’ll go!" Jiang Weiguo, too, looked at Shen Guodong with admiration. After all, this was his subordinate, and such a great accomplishment would reflect well on him. If Director Xu became permanent, he’d benefit as well.

"Director Jiang, you’re hurting my shoulder," Shen Guodong said with a wry smile.

Jiang Weiguo only then realized what he was doing!

Some were overjoyed, others dismayed.

Seeing Shen Guodong actually succeed, Hu Mingyuan’s face was stiff with disbelief.

How could this be? How had that kid pulled it off?

Even the factory’s own engineers couldn’t figure out the problem after countless days of inspection, eventually concluding that the expensive imported line was defective—yet now they’d been proven wrong?

How could he accept this?

Hu Mingyuan knew that with Shen Guodong solving the factory’s biggest headache, his own boss had lost. The two of them had once been at odds—one advocated bringing in the new line to raise efficiency and profits, the other thought the risk was too great and not worth the gamble. They represented the progressive and the conservative factions. Now the progressive side had won the bet!

Everyone would now support Director Xu.

Who would still back Wang Chenliang?