Road to Revival

Chapter 251 An Ending That Isn't Really an Ending

Let's end the story here.

When Tao Tang finished his brief but heartfelt speech and stood up to bow deeply to the audience, the hall erupted in unprecedentedly enthusiastic applause.

Finally seated in her designated seat, Lü Qi's eyes welled up with tears. It felt as if nine months ago, in this very conference room, the two levels of leadership at Red Star welcomed Tao Tang's appointment with applause. But that applause was certainly not as enthusiastic as this one.

Lü Qi's seat was in the second row, the usual spot for the company's general manager's assistants and deputy chief engineers. From here, one could clearly see the subtle expressions on every face on the stage.

It's another "farewell to the old and welcome to the new." Tao Tang, who had only served as the top leader of Hongxing for less than ten months, was transferred to local work, and a new leader took office.

It was the same meeting room as nine months ago, and the people were mostly the same. Lü Qi clearly remembered that at the meeting of all middle-level cadres to welcome Tao Tang more than nine months ago, she was filled with excitement and anticipation, but this time she was shrouded in a faint sadness and melancholy.

At the start of the meeting, Lü Qi carefully studied each face, trying to suppress the excitement of the newly appointed deputy general manager Jiang Yansheng, the dejected executive deputy general manager Li Luo, the pensive Zhao Qingmin, and Zhang Mingchen, who had been transferred from the position of general manager of Shengdong Company to Hongxing to replace Tao Tang, all with a humble smile on his face… as well as Tao Tang, who sat to Feng Shizhao's left. Afterwards, Lü Qi's gaze never left Tao Tang's face. Throughout the entire agenda, Tao Tang mostly kept his head slightly lowered, occasionally jotting down a few words in his notebook, and rarely looking at the audience except when conversing with Feng Shizhao.

The meeting moved to its final item on the agenda, with an important speech delivered by Feng Shizhao, Chairman and Party Secretary of the Group.

A rustling sound came from all sides as everyone began to take notes on the group's top leader's speech. But Lü Qi didn't move; her gaze remained fixed on the spot where she had just been. Nine months, more than two hundred and eighty days flashed through her mind like a video recording. Those bygone days were so clear, so intimate... She didn't hear a word of what Feng Shizhao had said until applause broke out in the hall, which jolted Lü Qi out of her reverie.

It felt like a dream… Lu Qi saw that the leaders on the stage had stood up. In that instant, Tao Tang, who was holding that familiar black notebook, finally met her gaze and gave her a bright smile.

He still wants to leave... Lu Qi suddenly thought of a saying, "All statements made in public are lies."

At this moment, the middle-level cadres all stood up and watched the leaders walk down from the podium and leave the meeting room.

Because Lü Qi's seat was in the second row, almost all the middle-level managers had left when she walked out of the meeting room. She suddenly noticed that Feng Shizhao, Tao Tang, and the newly appointed head Zhang Mingchen were still standing on the lawn of the guesthouse talking about something, while the other company leaders, including Zhao Qingmin and Guo Tao, were standing far away to the side.

Tao Tang saw Lü Qi and waved to her. Lü Qi thought he had something to tell her and quickly went over.

"Her name is Lü Qi, assistant general manager and director of the development planning department..."

"Very beautiful, very young..." Feng Shizhao smiled and extended his hand to Lü Qi. Lü Qi quickly tucked her notebook under her arm and reached out to grasp those soft, woman-like hands.

"Young? She was my deskmate in middle school..."

"Really? I couldn't tell at all..." The speaker was Zhang Mingchen, a short man, who was the new boss that Lü Qi was going to serve. "Assistant Lü, I hope you can help me a lot in the future." Zhang Mingchen smiled and extended his hand.

"Oh, I completely agree with Comrade Mingchen's opinion. How do you maintain your youthful appearance? You must have a secret, right?" The legendary ruthless Feng Shizhao also had a humorous and warm side.

Lü Qi didn't know how to answer. But she knew that Tao Tang had introduced her to the new top leader and pointed out their relationship entirely for her sake. It seemed that this always-smiling General Manager Zhang had a pretty good relationship with her.

"That's enough, don't keep everyone waiting..." Feng Shizhao waved his hand and walked towards the Red Star leadership who were waiting there.

"President Tao, Assistant Lü, you two chat, I'll head over first..." Zhang Mingchen followed behind Feng Shizhao.

Looking at Tao Tang's completely white temples, Lü Qi said, "You should go over there quickly..."

"I'm no longer with the Brilliant Group... It doesn't matter anymore..."

"When do I need to report for duty?"

"Tomorrow afternoon... I'd like to visit Old Tang's wife, are you coming?"

"I'm not going. I don't really have anything to do with him... By the way, is Tang Yikun's case closed?"

"It won't be that fast... Xiaohe heard that something happened to the Tang family and came to Pingquan. She and Tang Yikun's daughter, Tang Tian, ​​are good friends. I have to bring Xiaohe back. It's a mess over there... Sigh, I really didn't expect Old Tang to have such a thing happen..." Tao Tang looked away from Lü Qi's face and lowered his head.

Recently, the most sensational news in Pingquan is the Donghu case. The case has been shrouded in mystery, even dredging up a twenty-year-old cold case… Rumors are just rumors, but the reality is that Tang Yikun has been criminally detained, causing Donghu Real Estate to experience four consecutive days of limit-down trading, with a significant impact on the other two sectors in Donghu as well. The potential consequences are unclear, but the Tang Yikun case will undoubtedly have a profound impact on Pingquan's politics and economy.

"If you go to the city, you'll probably have to clean up the mess that Secretary Lu made at Donghu... It's unbelievable. If bribery is understandable, how did it involve murder?"

"Who knows... Everyone walks their own path... Luo Shaoxing is one thing, but Lao Tang is a talent, a talent with a great business mind and business skills, what a pity..." Tao Tang kicked a small stone at his feet, "They overestimated me. Compared to Lao Tang, I'm just a bookworm."

"Don't say that... Everyone says you are the best factory director Red Star has ever had."

"Everyone has self-awareness. I know my own limitations perfectly well."

"Tao Tang..."

"Um?"

"Can you tell me the truth? Are you willing to leave Red Star?"

"I don't want to."

Why?

"I still have so many ideas that I haven't been able to realize... Managing a factory is like managing a family; everyone is different. You'll have to adapt to Mr. Zhang's style from now on..."

"Although everyone is reluctant to see you leave, they all acknowledge that working for the government would offer you a brighter future..."

"I doubt it..."

"I've been wondering ever since I got the accurate information about you from Xiao Wei, why didn't you refuse? Why didn't you ask Chairman Feng to step in? Aren't the organization's decisions made by key people?"

Tao Tang shook his head. He didn't speak. Lü Qi remembered that after receiving the confirmed news, she immediately ran to Tao Tang to verify it; she truly didn't want him to leave. But Tao Tang said the organization had made its decision, and he had to obey. Then he said something she would never forget: "To believe in the organization is laughable; to not believe in the organization is pathetic."

"By the way, Deyu wanted to invite you to dinner, but he didn't dare to say it..." Lü Qi changed the subject.

"Sure, no problem. But not today. Let's find another time. When I'm free, I'll treat everyone to a farewell drink. I'll invite Lao Sun, Lao Han, and the others, as well as Liu Lin, Bao Xianbing, Li Suyi, and the others... I'll call you then," Tao Tang said with a smile.

"Okay! Chinese New Year is coming soon, so we're not going back to Binjiang, are we?"

"No, Xiaohe and I are going back to Binjiang for the New Year. My mother-in-law is too lonely by herself, and she just had a serious illness. Besides, I also need to..." Tao Tang's eyes narrowed, and he didn't finish his sentence.

Seven years ago, on New Year's Eve, his wife died in a car accident. For the past seven years, every day that saw families reunited was a time of sorrow and loneliness for him.

Lu Qi, however, thought of Fang Ke, who was tall and had a stunningly beautiful face.

"Thank you... Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today..." Lü Qi blushed. "I really wish I could work under you forever..."

"Haha, all meetings and partings are predestined. Besides, I'm still in Pingquan. Meeting up won't be difficult at all!"

Yes, he's still in Pingquan; we're still in the same city. Lü Qi thought that once the new city construction starts in the spring, he'll come back to the factory, but his status will be completely different…

"Okay, I'll go in first." Tao Tang saw the director of the general manager's office come out through the automatic glass door leading to the backyard from the main hall, and knew that he had come to see him, so he waved to Lü Qi and went over.

Only Lü Qi remained in the courtyard. The warm winter sun shone on her, and despite wearing a down jacket, she felt a bit too hot. The occasional sound of firecrackers from the direction of the residential area reminded her that the Lunar New Year of the Horse was just around the corner.

Lu Qi glanced deeply in the direction of the Grand Restaurant, then stepped out of the courtyard.

—The End

Postscript

The reason for writing such a niche book is because I have witnessed too many deaths and political collapses. Because of one person, a company can prosper, and also because of one person, it can suffer losses or even go bankrupt.

Managing people and affairs through systems is still a distant dream.

But this book is just too niche. Not long after it was released, I considered quitting. It was only because I didn't want to disappoint the few readers who had consistently supported and encouraged me, and also because I didn't want to bear the stigma of abandoning the story, that I persisted until now. The ending, though rushed, is still an ending, I suppose.

A sincere thank you to all the readers who support Ah Long's books, thank you.

(End of this chapter)