Chapter 178: Thorough and Particular
Factory Director Tian had prepared a whole basket of talking points—he’d even designed multiple conversation strategies.
For example, if Su He said this, he’d reply that; if she said that, he’d respond this way. In short, he had planned to block off all of Su He’s possible angles.
But in the end, all his clever strategies were completely blown away by Su He’s surprising moves!
Director Tian didn’t even snap out of it until he was sitting in the car.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Su He turned her head and smiled sweetly. “Director Tian, was your trip smooth?”
Director Tian nodded. “Mm, quite smooth.”
“And did you bring along the documents I mentioned?”
He nodded again. “Mm, I brought them.”
…
Sitting beside them, Yu Guodong thought: Director, weren’t you going to take control of Su He?
The way you’re answering questions one by one, it looks like she’s the one calling the shots!
The car drove into the S City Food Factory, where Su He led Director Tian to meet Section Chief Wei.
After a few polite exchanges, Chief Wei said, “Director Tian, to be honest, we originally didn’t plan on selling the instant noodle production line. Even though the profits are modest, the market outlook for instant noodles is promising. Our factory is large and well-funded, so we can afford to take losses if needed.”
“But,” he continued, “Miss Su did us a big favor, and her love for her hometown moved us. That’s why we decided to sell the instant noodle production line. Ultimately, it’s all for her sake…”
Director Tian was a shrewd old fox and instantly understood the subtext: this was Wei’s way of backing Su He.
All the notions he had earlier about controlling Su He burst like soap bubbles—pop, pop, pop—gone in an instant.
Buying the production line wasn’t the end of it—they’d still need the S City factory’s technical support. If he wanted smooth operations, he’d have to hold Su He in high regard. Otherwise, S City could easily pull the plug.
He was frustrated and puzzled: What on earth did Su He do that made S City Food Factory value her this much?
But this wasn’t the time to ask, so he just gave some polite, face-saving responses—saying things like Su He was a great contributor to An County’s food factory and that she’d be promoted and nurtured well, and so on.
Seeing the point had been made, Chief Wei then took Director Tian and his team on a tour of the instant noodle production line.
Though it was set to be sold, the line was still semi-operational.
Director Tian, despite sometimes being narrow-minded, had good judgment and capability. After the tour, he fully realized that Su He had been right all along—this production line was a golden goose. There was no way they’d walk away without buying it.
Then came the bargaining.
Eventually, the deal was finalized at 100,000 yuan.
Su He proposed a few additional conditions:
- S City Food Factory must provide technical support and assign staff to guide An County’s factory.
- She wants to speak with the technicians who had gone to Japan previously to understand their production methods.
- S City Food Factory will help connect An County’s factory with existing instant noodle customers, so they would already have a customer base once production started.
Director Tian listened on the side, nodding repeatedly.
This girl’s confidence is backed by real ability! Truly impressive!
Chief Wei was generous, too—he arranged for Director Tian and Yu Guodong to stay at the factory’s guesthouse for free.
Once they arrived at the guesthouse, Director Tian finally asked with a smile, “Su He, what exactly did you do to help the S City factory?”
Su He answered calmly, “Nothing much. I just brought them a foreign trade order worth nearly $100,000.”
Director Tian: “……”
After Su He and Principal Chen left, Director Tian sighed deeply. “Why was Zhuge Liang born after Zhou Yu? This girl Su He is going to outshine me one day. She might even take my position!”
Yu Guodong said, “Director, I think you’re overthinking it. I don’t think Su He is that kind of person. If she wanted to climb up the ranks, she would’ve stayed in S City already.”
Director Tian shook his head. “You don’t understand. She and I are the same kind of people. I know what she wants. Just wait and see—sooner or later, she’ll be after my seat. Luckily, I’m decades older. By the time she fully spreads her wings, I’ll be retired.”
Yu Guodong felt that maybe Director Tian was just overly shaken up and now spouting nonsense.
Well, it made sense. He had come all prepared to assert control over Su He, but ended up being the one controlled…
—
Meanwhile, Su He and Principal Chen rode the car back to Jinxiang Hotel.
Before getting out, Su He gave Driver Xu two cartons of cigarettes and said a few kind words.
Master Xu felt genuinely pleased—not that he cared about the gifts, but because Su He really knew how to handle things with class!
Back in her room, Su He started packing. The contract had been signed, and after dealing with a few remaining matters tomorrow, she’d be able to head home the day after.
The bonuses she received from S City Food Factory and the textile company were partly deposited into the trading system, with the rest stored temporarily in the system’s account—safe from getting lost while traveling.
She organized the gifts she had bought for Grandma Su and others. When she saw the wristwatch, she suddenly remembered—there was still a “rich fish” hanging on her fishing hook!
Blinking, she darted downstairs to the hotel reception and called Gu Chiyan’s workplace.
“Hello, comrade. I’m looking for Gu Chiyan. My surname is Su.”
On the other end of the line, Gu Chiyan’s voice came through. “Hello, Comrade Su He. This is Gu Chiyan speaking.”
Su He was surprised. “How come you were right by the phone?”
“I just happened to come over to take care of something. Are you back from your S City business trip?”
In the office, Xiao Wang twitched his mouth at that comment.
No wonder Engineer Gu kept lingering around the office and watching the phone like a hawk. Turns out he was waiting for her call!
As he was thinking that, Gu Chiyan gave him a cold glare and pointed to the door.
Xiao Wang: “……”
Once Xiao Wang left, Su He continued over the phone: “I’m still in S City. I’ll head back in a day or two. It’s been a while since we talked, so I just called to let you know I’m safe.”
“This is the hotel line, so I can’t talk for long. I’ll call again once I’m back in An County.”
“Alright. Take care of yourself.”
“You too. Work hard but rest well. I’m hanging up.”
Beep… beep… beep…
Listening to the dial tone, Gu Chiyan held the receiver for a long moment before putting it down.
Outside the office, Xiao Wang poked his head in. Gu Chiyan opened the door.
Xiao Wang asked curiously, “Engineer Gu, done so soon? Why not chat a bit longer?”
Gu Chiyan’s face darkened. “Phone bills are expensive. Of course we should keep it short—for the sake of conserving national resources! Go study some political readings and raise your ideological awareness!”
Xiao Wang: “……”
