Chapter Ninety-Three: The Plan

As soon as Shen Guodong spoke, Baldy’s expression fell. “Brother Shen, it’s not that we’re unwilling. We’re all rough men—if you make us dress like that, isn’t it just asking for trouble?”

They had watched dramas from Hong Kong before. Those people hardly resembled gangsters at all. It was something they often discussed among themselves.

Zhou Meiniang felt a little embarrassed as well. Even now, without much dressing up, she attracted an abundance of covetous glances; if she put in some effort, it would be even worse. Stockings and the like were far too avant-garde for the times—such outfits only appeared in Hong Kong dramas and films, and the secretary in those stories seemed to dress just like that.

Besides, she had never worn high heels before. Wasn’t this forcing her into something she couldn’t manage? Dressing so boldly in this era was like throwing a bomb into a crowd; she’d surely become the subject of gossip.

Yet Shen Guodong spoke without hesitation, “It’s not about whether you’re willing or not. If you want to succeed, you have to do it. Baldy, you’d walk through fire and blades without fear, but you balk at putting on some clothes? Is it really that hard?”

He didn’t realize that this was, in truth, even more daunting than braving fire and blades.

Baldy gritted his teeth and said, “Brother Shen, since you’ve made it clear, I’ll take the brothers and get dressed up later. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it properly.”

“That’s settled, then. Let’s eat first, and then this afternoon, we’ll dress up nicely. I have a plan,” Shen Guodong replied.

After the meal, Shen Guodong led the group to the Shen City clothing market. Most clothes here were still homemade from fabric; ready-made garments were rare. But Shen City was a place with plenty of wealthy people, so demand created a market, and in the larger stores, you could find some ready-made clothes.

Thanks to the popularity of Hong Kong dramas and films, there was a niche market for such styles. They searched for a long time before finally finding what they wanted in one shop.

When Baldy and his brothers put on suits, leather shoes, and sunglasses, they truly looked the part—distinctly different from the street punks of the era. They resembled the movie gangsters quite closely, almost legitimate in appearance.

Zhou Meiniang, after donning her outfit—a skirt paired with high heels and black stockings—looked absolutely cutting-edge, so much so that eyes nearly popped out at the sight.

Her look was reminiscent of the goddess Vivian Chow’s style in certain dramas, and even Shen Guodong found himself unexpectedly captivated by her.

He looked at Zhou Meiniang, a smile appearing on his face. He paced around her, casting glances her way, his heartbeat quickening ever so slightly.

There was no denying Zhou Meiniang’s beauty; words could scarcely describe it. She was breathtaking, so much so that simply looking at her gave one the sense of witnessing beauty at its pinnacle.

Shen Guodong was thoroughly mesmerized.

Such attire was exceedingly rare in this era, almost unheard of inland, though more common in Hong Kong.

Zhou Meiniang’s shyness was evident. “Well? Does it look good? I just feel so strange!”

The fiery stares from all around left her at a loss, wishing she could sink into the ground and disappear.

Fortunately, Shen Guodong seemed quite accepting of her outfit.

He smiled and said, “Very beautiful. Go ahead and change back—this is the one.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Meiniang hurried into the changing room, returning to her original clothes. Each set cost several yuan, but for Shen Guodong now, it was nothing more than a sprinkle of rain.

He didn’t care in the slightest.

In the eighties, clothes costing several yuan a set were considered astronomical.

For Baldy and his brothers, the combined cost of their outfits equaled half a month’s wages for an ordinary worker—truly extravagant.

With their clothes in hand, they left the market.

Baldy asked, “Brother Shen, what do we do next?”

“Rest for today. I’ll work out the details, and you’ll follow my lead when the time comes. Also, Baldy—have someone check in Feng City and find out where the letter sent to Shen City Steelworks came from. That shouldn’t be too hard for you,” Shen Guodong added.

He already had a few suspects in mind.

First was Yuan Junfeng—after all, Shen Guodong’s success or failure directly impacted Yuan Junfeng’s personal interests. In that sense, he was the most likely culprit.

Apart from him, there was Hu Mingyuan and others.

As for Wang Chenliang, Shen Guodong didn’t suspect him for now. No matter what, Wang held a high position at the factory; even if he bore a grudge, he wouldn’t do anything to harm the factory’s interests. That would damage his own interests, too.

So, for now, Shen Guodong didn’t suspect him.

Returning to the inn, Shen Guodong fell into deep thought.

The situation was still quite serious for him.

He wasn’t sure if his plan would succeed.

The anonymous letter had seriously disrupted his scheme, and as things stood, circumstances were not in his favor. He could only resort to unconventional methods to see if he could resolve the matter.

The branch company’s fate wasn’t for Wang Dayou to decide alone; he was merely a manager, and though his word carried weight, the final authority belonged to those above. Shen Guodong realized he needed to bypass the upper management directly.

Only by doing so could he revive his prospects. Persuading Wang Dayou wasn’t simple, so he planned to go straight to the director of Shen City Steelworks.

If he could get the director’s decision, even if Wang Dayou protested until his mouth ran dry, the factory in Feng City—and its orders—would be his.

He had already mapped out his plan in his mind; the next steps would depend on execution. Tomorrow would decide his fate.

If even this maneuver failed, Shen Guodong could think of nothing else to help himself.

Bribery? Or some other means?

For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

Even Shen Guodong himself was uncertain.