After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

Looking at the neatly dressed man in front of him, Xiao Liu suddenly felt that her anger that morning was a bit unreasonable.

"Boss Gong... Your idea is quite insightful. I've never seen any other work team think about things this way before."

His words revealed his genuine admiration.

Gong Yuelong showed no sign of being praised; he simply shook his head.

"These are all makeshift solutions we were forced to come up with because of the project; as long as they work, that's fine."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across Xiao Liu's face—his tanned skin looked tired, and his lips were a little dry.

He casually reached into the side pocket of his tool bag, pulled out an unopened bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and handed it over naturally.

"You've been busy since early morning, haven't you? Have some water, it's hot."

Xiao Liu was taken aback for a moment.

On construction sites, it's common to see men offering cigarettes, but offering water... especially casually, is rare.

She took the bottle, and the touch of her fingertips to the cool plastic shell made her feel much better.

Thanks.

She unscrewed the cap and took a sip. The cool water slid down, suppressing the dryness in her throat.

She looked up at him. "You don't seem like someone who's always done this. Did you... used to be a boss?"

Gong Yuelong smiled and said, "I used to dabble around aimlessly, and I fell hard, ending up in debt. Now I'm more grounded, relying on my skills and strength to start over."

Xiao Liu suddenly understood where that thoroughness in considering events, which surpassed that of ordinary workers in the work team, came from—

That's the quality of someone who's been hammered into the ground by life's heavy blows, but then stubbornly pulled themselves out.

No wonder he acts like a chess player, thinking three moves ahead for every one move; he probably can't afford to lose again.

"Start over..." she repeated softly.

Gong Yuelong seemed not to hear him, and smiled, "Engineer Liu, it's even more difficult for a woman like you to manage the site so well."

Xiao Liu smiled when she heard this. It was beautiful.

She didn't respond to that, but instead said, "Hurry up and get ready. I'll check on your preparations later."

"Okay." Gong Yuelong nodded and turned to walk towards his team.

Xiao Liu took a breath and turned to walk towards the prefab house.

On this sweltering morning, it seemed like more than one capable work group had arrived.

……

Gong Yuelong knew perfectly well that a bottle of water wasn't worth much, but offering it to the right person at the right time could be more effective than offering a cigarette.

This is especially true for a young female construction worker who is working hard in a group of men.

"Helping others is helping yourself. Now that we're starting over, everyone we encounter could be a part of our future path."

The thought went through his mind; it wasn't sentimental, just the most basic understanding of survival.

When I was a boss, I understood some principles but didn't necessarily pay attention to them. Now, after falling to the bottom and climbing back up, I truly understand the weight of connections.

It's not about making friends over drinks, but about building trust and reliability through small, consistent efforts.

Project managers like Xiao Liu, who work on the front lines, have real authority over on-site scheduling and quality acceptance.

A nod or a frown from her could directly affect whether the work goes smoothly or whether the money is settled on time.

Today's bottle of water, along with the previous professional advice, resulted in more than just a softened attitude.

It also planted a seed in her mind that this person was reliable, knowledgeable, and cooperative.

value.

He walked to the edge of the foundation pit, where Cao Dayong was already waiting.

Upon seeing Gong Yuelong, Cao Dayong immediately came over, winking and making faces:

"Tsk tsk, our General Manager Gong is really something! Look at that beautiful foreman in the project department, she's so polite!"

You know, being good-looking is a good thing. He managed to shut up the female technician with just a few words.

"My rough, old face isn't lucky enough to have that!"

The villagers next to him chuckled along.

Gong Yuelong laughed and scolded, "Get lost, stop talking nonsense. Engineer Liu is a man of action, let's get down to business."

He knew exactly what was going on. Although Cao Dayong's rough words were off-key, they did show that his neat and tidy appearance did have a different effect in this dusty construction site.

Besides, he's really handsome!

Gong Yuelong glanced at everyone and nodded: "Alright, everyone's here. Uncle Cao, you're in charge now, I'll take care of logistics and make sure everyone eats and drinks well."

Everyone smiled, thinking that what he said was true.

Gong Yuelong's tone turned serious: "Listen carefully—safety, our own safety, is the most important thing. We are all one family member; we came here whole, and we must go back whole. There's no room for discussion."

Several veteran workers nodded, and one of them whispered, "That's how it should be done."

"The second one," he held up another finger, "

The command is to follow the instructions of the two people: Engineer Liu on site is our own supervisor. Just do what we tell him to do, and don't cause any trouble yourself.

Be polite to everyone else in the project team. We're here to work and earn money, not to argue.

"If life goes smoothly, money will follow; everyone understands this principle."

"Understood!" Cao Dayong responded first.

"The third point is quality," Gong Yuelong said, pointing to the steel bars below.

"What's written on the contract isn't just a piece of paper. It's our reputation, and it's also our future livelihood."

The vibration must be thorough, and the finishing must be quick. Two people are specifically assigned to monitor the rebar; if it's stepped on crookedly, it must be straightened immediately.

"If we do this job well, we can stand tall and proud when we go out into the world."

"Don't worry, Mr. Gong, everything's arranged!" Cao Dayong patted his chest.

"Finally," Gong Yuelong's voice softened, "keep your eyes open. If you see anything wrong—water seepage, bulging templates—don't make a fuss, just let the foreman know first."

We don't cause trouble, but we can't pretend to be blind either. Making money peacefully is better than anything else.

"reasonable!"

"That's exactly it!"

Everyone echoed in agreement, their expressions becoming much more serious.

"Alright," Gong Yuelong waved his hand, "Everyone heard that. Let's earn some face for our fellow Nanshan folks, and for ourselves! Get ready to get to work!"

……

After arranging things in the work group, Gong Yuelong didn't linger by the pit.

He patted Cao Dayong on the shoulder, then turned and strolled towards the row of prefabricated houses at the project site.

"When doing a job, you can't just bury your head in your work. You have to let the person in charge know who is doing it and how well they are doing it."

He knew perfectly well what was going on. Squeezed in with those sweating, toiling workers, he was at best a decent foreman.

But to make people feel that you are capable of taking on bigger jobs, you can't just stay at the bottom.

This sports center project has just begun; after the initial 5,000 square meters of foundation slab, there is still countless tasks to be done.

There's plenty of work to be done. Getting to know people and being able to get things done is better than anything else.

I went to the small shop at the entrance of the construction site and bought seven or eight of the most ordinary popsicles.

As I approached the project office, the door was ajar, and I could hear someone making a phone call inside. The tone was quite sharp, as if they were explaining something to their superiors.

Gong Yuelong knocked on the door frame. Zhao Gong paused for a moment, put down the phone, and gestured for him to come in.

He walked over and handed him an ice pop. "Manager Zhao, it's hot, cool down."

Engineer Zhao took it, tore open the wrapper, took a big bite, and mumbled:

"You're quite the smooth operator. You've got everything arranged? Let me tell you, if you mess things up, a few popsicles won't do."