Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

Director Zheng's secretary knew Li Feng, but today it just so happened that it was Li Feng's turn to go to the ministry's party school for training, and a young man who had just been seconded from a lower level was temporarily replacing him.

The young man only knew that Director Zheng was meeting with important figures today. Seeing that Li Feng and Wu Na were so young, he subconsciously regarded them as entourage members accompanying their leader on business and routinely led them to the reception room.

At this moment, Li Feng and Wu Na followed the staff to the reception room of the Ministry of Light Industry. There were many people in the reception room, most of whom were the top leaders of enterprises under the Ministry of Light Industry and other subordinate units of the Ministry of Light Industry. Their purpose in coming here was simple: to see Director Zheng.

After all, Director Zheng is now the head of the Planning Department, mainly responsible for the approval of light industry projects nationwide. Director Zheng is currently busy, so the reception staff from the ministry brought Li Feng here first. At this time, there were already quite a few people sitting in the reception room, and Li Feng and Wu Na casually found a place to sit down.

The reception room was filled with smoke, and seven or eight people were already seated on several rows of dark green leather sofas.

These people were all in their forties or fifties, dressed in neat cadre uniforms, their expressions either serious or anxious. They either had cigarettes in their hands or were holding enamel mugs, talking in hushed tones in twos and threes. A tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

The arrival of Li Feng and Wu Na was like a drop of clear water falling into a hot oil pan, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

They were both too young, especially Li Feng, who looked like a recent college graduate, and didn't fit in with the atmosphere here.

Everyone glanced at it briefly before looking away and continuing their own conversation.

In their view, this was probably a young person brought in by some organization to run errands and pick up materials.

Li Feng didn't care about the stares. He found a seat by the window and put his briefcase on his lap.

Wu Na sat on the single sofa next to him, her body slightly turned to the side, her posture elegant.

"The person who brought us to the meeting room must be new," Wu Na whispered in Li Feng's ear. Her voice was soft and warm.

"Oh? How did you know?" Li Feng asked curiously. He looked around and saw that the furnishings were simple yet solemn, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls. Everything exuded the strictness unique to government agencies.

Wu Na smiled faintly and explained, "I've never seen him before when I was in the ministry. If he knew me or had seen the photos of the people in charge of the key projects in the ministry, he definitely wouldn't have brought us here."

She paused, then added, "However, it's also possible that Director Zheng has just been promoted, and the rules are stricter than before. If you want to see the head of a department, you do need to register and apply first, and then the secretary will make arrangements."

"However... that new guy probably didn't understand the situation and mistook us for ordinary visitors."

Wu Na's words exuded a confident understanding; she clearly knew everything about this place.

Li Feng was somewhat taken aback after hearing Wu Na's explanation.

He hadn't expected there to be so many twists and turns; he thought that with his relationship with Director Zheng, he could just go directly to his office.

It seems that the rules and regulations of government agencies are far more complicated than he imagined.

Seeing Li Feng raise his eyebrows slightly, Wu Na assumed he was worried, so she gently comforted him, "But don't worry, Director Zheng will definitely see you, and he will see you soon. We just need to wait patiently for a while."

Although the two were not speaking loudly, their conversation was still overheard by some sharp-eared people in the relatively quiet reception room. A slightly overweight middle-aged man sitting on the sofa diagonally opposite them pursed his lips upon hearing this, picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of strong tea, and made a soft smacking sound.

A tall, thin man next to him glanced at Li Feng and Wu Na discreetly, his eyes filled with scrutiny and disdain.

Although they didn't say anything—after all, those sitting there were all influential figures, possessing a certain level of composure—they secretly mocked Li Feng and Wu Na's overestimation of their abilities.

Is Director Zheng someone you can just meet casually?
What a joke!
Which of these people isn't a business leader in charge of their region? Which of them didn't pull strings and find connections to send out their visiting cards days in advance just to meet Director Zheng? Even so, whether they can meet today, and how long they can talk after meeting, is still unknown.

This young man, barely out of his teens, has a beautiful female subordinate by his side, yet he speaks with such arrogance, saying he'll "see you soon"? He's truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, completely ignorant of his own limitations.

Although they didn't know who Li Feng was, based on just these few sentences of conversation, they had already labeled Li Feng and Wu Na as "arrogant" and "ignorant" in their minds.

In an instant, the already somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the reception room subtly shifted to one of disdain and a sense of anticipation.

At this moment, Li Feng was unaware of their thoughts, or rather, he simply didn't have time to think about such trivial matters. To him, these people's opinions were insignificant.

His mind is now filled with the plans for the second and third phases of the ceramics factory, as well as the specific implementation plan for the fully automated production line.

Time is precious, and every minute and second should be used wisely.

Since Director Zheng is currently reporting to the higher-ups, there's no point in rushing. We might as well use this time to sort out our thoughts again.

So Li Feng opened his briefcase, took out the thick report, and began to read it as if no one else was around.

His fingers traced lightly across the pages, his gaze focused, his expression serene, as if everything around him were irrelevant.

Seeing that Li Feng had gotten into work mode, Wu Na stopped talking.

She quietly stayed by Li Feng's side, her back straight, her gaze fixed on the file bag in her hand, but out of the corner of her eye, her eyes lingered gently on Li Feng's focused profile.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a small shadow on his thick eyelashes and making his already angular face appear even more handsome.

Wu Na's heart skipped a beat.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The other people in the meeting room started to look at their watches impatiently, some got up to go to the corridor to smoke, and others continued to talk in hushed tones, discussing which factory had received new quotas and which project had been stalled.

The quiet duo of Li Feng and Wu Na became the most unique presence in the room.

After all, people as quiet as them are practically nonexistent here. (End of Chapter)