Blazing Sun~Chapter 17

 

Chapter 17

This is a kind of wisdom, I wonder if anyone understands it.

 It's like this: I clearly intend to work very hard, but I only say I intend to work a little harder. That way, if I fail later, it won't be too embarrassing, and if I succeed—wow! That would be a surprise.

…This kind of useless wisdom filled my brain.

Back at the company, although I was still doing the same work as before, my positive attitude made me act completely differently. Within a few days, Xiao Dai noticed my "abnormality."

It was a Saturday, and I got up early to go with Xiao Dai to inspect the newly completed factory area, preparing for the relevant departments' inspection next week, and also making arrangements for the new production line to be put into operation.

It's called a new production line, but it's not really new; it's secondhand equipment bought from a photovoltaic module manufacturer in Chengdu. Of course, there's nothing wrong with the equipment itself. Buying from China is not only cheaper but also saves a lot on overseas shipping costs.

Currently, most photovoltaic module production equipment is imported, similar to the situation with high-end medical equipment. But things will gradually improve; at least the supporting equipment is now domestically produced.

After a busy morning, Xiao Dai and I ate boxed lunches together at the factory. Too lazy to go to the factory management center, we just found a relatively clean step in the workshop to sit and eat, being quite unrefined.

Xiao Dai kept peeking at my lunch, looking a bit lewd. I sat back and covered it with my hand, warning him, "Men and women shouldn't touch each other."

Xiao Dai looked wronged, "I was just looking at what you're eating, why are you making things up? What if General Manager Lin misunderstands? Even if he doesn't know, doesn't my reputation matter?"

No matter what I said, it was no use; I sat even further away.

After taking a few bites of food, Xiao Dai suddenly said, "Boss, I've noticed you seem to have become more serious these past few days."

"Wasn't I serious before?"

"Before?" Xiao Dai chuckled. "Even when you were dragged into meetings, you'd still be drawing cats and dogs in your notebook."

"..."

"Observing your boyfriend, and incidentally drawing his shapeless form."

"I disagreed," I said. "President Lin looks so handsome in meetings, how can you say he's ugly?"

"I said your drawing is ugly," Xiao Dai started his 吐槽 (tu cao, a form of online criticism/criticism). "Look at you, all you care about is his looks, you didn't listen to a word President Lin said."

"Stop slandering me! I still learned a lot."

I didn't want to talk to him, but after a couple of bites, I was still unconvinced. I turned to Xiao Dai and said, "You wait and see, I've decided to prove that this top student from A University is better than you from J University!"

Xiao Dai looked up from his lunchbox, his expression blank for a moment, then he said in shock, "You're issuing a challenge?"

"Yes!"

Xiao Dai put down his chopsticks, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he asked me, "Boss, did President Lin ever tell you that I came from a remote mountainous area in the west to study in Shanghai?"

"No."

"My hometown..." His gaze drifted, "there was nothing there. Going to elementary school required walking for over an hour along mountain paths. When I was a kid, there was often no electricity at school or at home. You can't imagine, can you... Don't pity me."

I paused for a moment, then quickly shook my head: "No, no, I swear I have absolutely no sympathy for you. Besides, you're so radiant and energetic now, I can't find anyone to sympathize with."

Xiao Dai: "..."

His melancholy mood couldn't be maintained any longer, and he hastily concluded: "Anyway, you people born into good places and good families won't understand. I've calculated it myself, but I still have parents and a younger sister at home, how can I not work hard? Before, I worked for a foreign company, the salary was high, and it was relatively easy, but the career prospects for Chinese people in foreign companies are just so-so, you can see the top, so I might as well go out and do something else!"

After saying that, he shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.

My expression was indescribable: "Although...we're a legitimate company, we wouldn't describe something as 'just pulling off a single job,' would we?"

"Sorry, sorry. Little boss, I'm just telling you, challenging me is a long shot. Our CEO Lin only sleeps four or five hours a day, how much sleep do you think I get?"

Me: "...I was just kidding, let's eat, don't take it seriously."

I was really joking before, but now...

Hmph~ You look down on me, I'll secretly work harder when I get back!

Just then, Sister Chen, the technical supervisor of the new factory, came over with her lunchbox, sat down on the steps, opened her lunchbox, and started eating with us. This supervisor was poached from Chengdu along with the production line; she's a spirited woman in her thirties, and in just a few days, she's already a fan of the company cafeteria.

Sure enough, after just one bite, she exclaimed, "This twice-cooked pork is really good! Our company cafeteria is great; I'm worried about my figure now!"

"Sister Chen, you don't need to lose weight," I said, immediately taking credit for my boyfriend. "The cafeteria was improved last year when General Manager Lin came."

Xiao Dai was also hearing this for the first time. "Really? Our General Manager Lin seems to care a lot about the employees' lives."

"Maybe it's because he likes to eat?"

"That makes sense. We can't overestimate human nature."

Sister Chen: "...Company culture?"

Uh...

Sister Chen's shocked expression quickly turned into understanding. "Got it, got it."

Xiao Dai noticed I'd become more diligent, but Lin Yusen hadn't noticed yet, which made me a little dissatisfied. That evening, after finishing his work, Lin Yusen picked me up for dinner at his house. At the table, I chattered on about my upcoming competition with Xiao Dai, then questioned him, "Haven't you noticed how hard I've been working lately?"

Lin Yusen calmly replied, "Of course I have."

"Then why are you so indifferent?"

"No, I'm secretly delighted."

"..." Where was even a hint of "delight" on your face?

My expression was probably a little aggrieved, and Lin Yusen couldn't help but laugh. "I prepared a reward for you. You can have it after you finish eating."

A reward?

My boyfriend is so nice! I quickly finished my meal, eagerly awaiting his reward. However, when I received the thick stack of "rewards" from Lin Yusen...

One thought crossed my mind.

Romance... is gone.

I took a deep breath and looked up at Lin Yusen. "Do you know what this gift represents?"

Lin Yusen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It's like giving someone a five-year college entrance exam preparation course as a gift when you're dating in high school, or a guaranteed pass for the CET-6 and postgraduate entrance exam when you're dating in college. So what was your mindset when you gave me this—"

I held up the bound booklet in front of him. "The 'Double-Five-Year Development Proposal Plan'?"

"How is that the same?" Lin Yusen didn't realize his mistake at all, actually trying to convince me, "I wrote this myself. What you just said were all printed materials."

So, what if you wrote it yourself? It's not a love letter!

"Besides, didn't you just say you were going to secretly work hard to beat Xiao Dai? Isn't this like giving someone a martial arts manual as a gift when you're dating in a martial arts novel?"

Hmm…

I'm a little convinced.

I silently lowered my hand, looking at the thick booklet again. It felt completely different now. It was now gleaming, titled "Three-Day Crash Course to Becoming a Company Boss" and "Mastering Your Boss in Your First Job."

"Fine."

I turned around and claimed the most comfortable sofa in his house, immediately starting to read.

Lin Yusen, however, seemed uncomfortable. He stood there for a few seconds before coming over. "That's it?"

"I'm just very gentle, kind, and easy to coax... Ugh, go away, go do your own thing." I didn't even bother to look at him, pushing him away with one hand.

But the push failed, and he grabbed my hand. "At least listen to the background of this plan."

"Oh, go ahead."

A woman determined to pursue her career is very aloof, even with her hand still held.

"This is the plan I submitted to Shengyuan a month after I came to Shuangyuan last year. After my grandfather read it, he immediately agreed to increase investment and expand production."

"Wait! Didn't you say you wrote it for me? Deceiving an innocent girl?"

"It was originally about twenty pages, look how many pages it is now."

I flipped to the last page, fifty-three pages.

"So, these past few days, not only have you been working on it, but I've added a lot of extra stuff. Take your time reading it."

Having expressed his good intentions, he finally walked away satisfied to do his own work.

Sigh… Mr. Lin isn't aloof and profound at all anymore, except when he's working occasionally.

Sometimes I even miss him…

I started reading the business plan seriously.

The opening section still covered the history of photovoltaics and the company's operations. Because of my recent accumulation of knowledge, I read this part quickly, only slowing down towards the future outlook and strategic layout.

As I read, I finally understood why Lin Yusen said he had added a lot of information in the past few days. Because whenever I encountered something I didn't understand and was about to ask a question, the next line would be his annotation. The seasoned businessman, Mr. Sheng, obviously didn't need these annotations; only a business novice like me (currently) needed them.

After a hasty first reading, I closed the business plan, inevitably stunned by the ambition Lin Yusen displayed within it. Increased R&D investment, expansion into the west…

While slowly digesting the information, I couldn't help but think about other aspects.

Lin Yusen said he submitted this business plan to Grandpa Sheng last year, and Grandpa Sheng immediately agreed to increase the investment. This indicates that his assessment of the future development trend of the entire industry aligns with Lin Yusen's. So, Grandpa Sheng giving Shuangyuan's shares to Lin Yusen wasn't just a way of settling things off? As for why the other members of the Sheng family were happy, it's probably because they saw Shuangyuan's performance decline in the past two years and felt it had no future.

However, it's not surprising that they think this way. How can Shuangyuan develop to reach the same scale as a company the size of Shengyuan?

Speaking of which, the name Shuangyuan is a bit rustic; it's clearly a combination of Shengyuan and my father's company name, heavily influenced by them.

My thoughts were still wandering when a sudden inspiration struck me. Excitedly, I blurted out, "Lin Yusen, how about we change the company name? 'Shuangyuan' sounds a bit old-fashioned, like a combination of 'Shengyuan' and 'Chengyuan'."

Lin Yusen looked up from behind his desk. "Shengyuan and Chengyuan are both big names in the Yangtze River Delta region. No need to draw such a clear line."

"That makes sense, but it's a bit of a shame. I just had a brilliant idea, a name that sounds incredibly auspicious."

Lin Yusen became interested: "What's it?"

"Guangyu," I emphasized, explaining, "It's just combining our names, since we're the ones doing the work. Ladies first, so my name is first, absolutely not to put you down."

Lin Yusen didn't even hesitate, immediately changing his mind, "Okay, let's change it."

I chuckled inwardly: "Not using the big names anymore? Is it because I put our names together that you changed your mind?"

"You're overthinking it. It's purely because the name is fitting," Lin Yusen said seriously. "Light is energy, and an island is the carrier. 'Guangyu' can be interpreted as an island that absorbs and stores light, which matches the industry the company is in. Hmm, Xiguang, you have a real knack for naming things."

My eyes widened.

Whether I have knack for it or not, I don't know, but you're really good at making things up!

And so, my days at the company became positive and fulfilling. Of course, I was just a super ordinary college graduate, with no chance of doing anything earth-shattering all at once. Anyway, I'd accumulate experience little by little.

After a period of this busy work, one day, Lin Yusen suddenly asked me, "You said last time that Sheng Xingjie and your college roommate are together?"