Road to Revival

In the afternoon, all the directors of the Development and Planning Department stayed obediently in their offices, and even Duan Hui, who rarely stayed at the office and always spent time in the workshop, didn't leave. Lü Qi could clearly hear Duan Hui's incessant coughing.

Lu Qi noticed that the atmosphere in the office building had changed. The usual laughter and chatter were gone, and when she occasionally ran into a colleague in the corridor, they would just nod to each other and quicken their pace.

Liu Xinjun, assistant general manager and director of the development and planning department, strolled into Lü Qi's office. Lü Qi was reading a business management magazine and was somewhat surprised to see him. He rarely went into his deputies' offices; he would call them over when needed.

"I heard that the new General Manager Tao is your classmate?" Liu Xinjun sat down on the worn-out leather sofa.

"It used to be." Lü Qi put down the magazine. "How did you know?"

"Red Star is only so big, its influence is everywhere... Everyone says your class is the 'Tiger Class,' that it's produced quite a few talented people. Sorry, I was a bit too boastful... Look, Vice Mayor Zhou Hongyou, right? And General Manager Tang from Donghu, too, right?"

"So that's why they're called the Tiger Class? Don't forget, there are also wimps like me."

"If you're a coward, there won't be many elites left in Red Star. Haha, I'll need your help in the future."

"How dare I? You're my superior." Lü Qi looked at Liu Xinjun. Ever since Song Yue's incident, her boss had changed from his usual domineering self to someone who was constantly anxious. However, Liu Xinjun used to be quite polite to her, at least much more polite than the other two deputy directors.

Liu Xinjun sighed, about to say something, when he heard the landline in his office across the street ring. He hurried back to answer the phone. Soon, he went to Lü Qi's office. "I received a call from Secretary Zhao. He needs some necessary materials prepared for General Manager Tao. Let's have a meeting."

"Now?"

"certainly."

Two minutes later, the three deputy directors gathered in Liu Xinjun's office and received their tasks according to their assigned roles. The Development and Planning Department has a heavy workload, and the three deputy directors' responsibilities are as follows: Lü Qi is responsible for internal assessment, statistics, organizational responsibilities, internal control, and the establishment of rules and regulations; Duan Hui is responsible for project management and technical measures and upgrades; and Gao Jiming is responsible for medium- and long-term planning, annual and quarterly business plans, and new product development.

After leaving Liu Xinjun's office, Duan Hui followed Lü Qi. "Sister Lü, if you have the chance, you have to put in a good word for me."

"What do you mean?" Compared to Gao Jiming, Duan Hui and Lü Qi were closer.

"Do I have to formally beg you? Sister Lü, I've always considered you my elder sister. I'm completely out of options with this situation! With President Tao coming, the management team will definitely need to be reorganized. Could you please put in a good word for me and find me a new place?"

"I don't have that much influence. You overestimate me." Lü Qi knew the source of Duan Hui's complaints. He had two nationally funded projects that were progressing slowly, seriously behind schedule. Apart from technical issues, insufficient self-raised funds were the main factor. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell headquarters the truth. One of the projects was due for acceptance at the end of the year, and the burden fell entirely on Duan Hui's shoulders. Given headquarters' regulations on project construction, Duan Hui was extremely uneasy.

"Everyone says you're Mr. Tao's classmate, you don't deny that, do you? In today's society, classmates are the closest of relationships, you absolutely have to help us out."

"Who would dare to change horses at this point? Even if I were the general manager, I wouldn't do that. I don't have time to argue with you, I need to prepare the documents, so get out of here." Lü Qi impatiently shooed Duan Hui away.

After thinking for a few minutes, Lü Qi called over the heads of the Enterprise Management and Economic Operations sections under her supervision and gave them a brief briefing. The instructions were nothing more than the organizational chart and departmental responsibilities, the internal operational responsibility system assessment methods, this year's targets, and the actual performance from January to April—all readily available materials that she only needed to memorize. She then realized that, generally speaking, the reporting was Liu Xinjun's responsibility, and it probably wouldn't be her turn.

The data was quickly prepared, and Lü Qi carefully reviewed it to ensure it was correct before submitting it to Liu Xinjun. Until the end of the workday, the Development and Planning Department received no instructions or meeting notices.

That evening after dinner, Lü Qi received another call from Han Ruilin. She flatly refused his suggestion to visit Tao Tang at the hotel, saying, "Old Han, are you stupid? How could he have time to see you? Aren't you going to see his brother and sister? Aren't you being too hasty?"

Tao Tang's parents followed him to Binjiang City, but Tao Tang's older brother Tao Jin and younger sister Tao Meiling were both working at the factory. It was impossible for Tao Tang, who had been away from home for so long, not to see his siblings.

"This Han Ruilin..." After hanging up the phone, Lü Qi shook her head.

"There was a mistake in the General Manager's Office. The chosen route to the factory was blocked, and it was our own people who blocked the road. Luckily, General Manager Feng didn't find out," said Fan Yongcheng, Lu Qi's husband.

"Who? Who went to block the road?" Lü Qi was taken aback.

"Your classmate? She's the one whose husband died because of the demolition compensation. There were also dozens of people from the power company involved in blocking the road."

"Whose door are we blocking?"

"Donghu's office on Huajin Road. Who else could they be blocking? They can't very well block Hongxing's main gate, can they? This can't be blamed on the factory..."

Well, if we can get justice, it's worth it. Lü Qi thought.

"This incident terrified the security and general manager's office, who were afraid of offending General Manager Feng. Fortunately, Feng Shizhao had already gone to the provincial capital, Beiyang, but Tao Tang didn't accompany him. In the afternoon, accompanied by General Manager Tao, Feng Shizhao inspected the three main production branches, No. 1, No. 3, and No. 11. This was to be expected and nothing new. As the head of the group, since he's come to the grassroots level, he should at least go to the front lines." Fan Yongcheng chimed in, "Haha, didn't you see how impatient Chen Yongliang was this afternoon? It was absolutely hilarious. Haha."

Fan Yongcheng is the section chief of the Quality Management Department, which is considered a middle-level position, but he doesn't receive the performance-based pay that other employees envy. From this perspective, the gap between section chiefs and department heads at Hongxing is enormous.

The Chen Yongliang mentioned by Fan Yongcheng is the director of the Quality Management Department.

"What's so funny?" Lü Qi was surprised that her husband knew so much about Feng Shizhao's movements, and she wondered where he had heard it from.

"Get ready to report to General Manager Tao. Apart from me, I've been scolding the other deputy directors and section chiefs like they're little bastards."

Since learning of Tao Tang's appointment, Fan Yongcheng has been incredibly enthusiastic, which makes Lü Qi very uncomfortable. "Chen Yongliang's arrangements are perfectly normal; we're preparing for them too."

"You guys are in charge of the overall situation. President Tao definitely can't understand the company's overall situation without you, but how could the Quality Management Department possibly be involved?"

"Alright, alright, why aren't you going to play cards today?" Fan Yongcheng goes out to play a few rounds every night; he has regular card-playing friends.

"I'm not going. I'm telling you, boss," Fan Yongcheng said with a grin, "Han Ruilin is right. You should pay a visit to President Tao. After all, he's an old classmate, and others can't say anything. If you could advance further, that would be great. With your ability and seniority, you should have been promoted long ago."

Lü Qi sighed inwardly. Her husband was an outsider with a high level of education, having entered the factory with a master's degree. After all these years, he was only a section chief. He was frustrated with his own career, yet he always hoped for his wife's advancement. "Go do what you're supposed to do. I still need to familiarize myself with the report materials."

"By the way, I heard that General Manager Tao requested a roster of the company's cadres from the Organization Department..."

"How do you know everything? I've never heard of any of this." Lü Qi's heart suddenly started pounding.

"Perhaps Tao will soon assemble a new team?"

Impossible! He's a complete newcomer, how could he possibly manage a team? Fan Yongcheng is highly educated, but in some ways he's practically an idiot.

"Hey Lao Fan, can you stop worrying about useless things? You should use your energy to care for and tutor your son." After saying that, Lü Qi went into the study and closed the door.

She sat at her desk and turned on the lamp. The charts and data she'd brought home didn't need review; they were all memorized. She wasn't really thinking about work; what she was thinking about was Tao Tang, the person so deeply etched in her heart—what was he doing now? He'd asked for the roster of employees; he'd definitely see her name. Did he still remember her?

Lü Qi's assessment of Tao Tang's actions that evening was largely accurate. That night, Tao Tang declined the company's welcome dinner, citing fatigue, and instead had a simple dinner alone at a small restaurant. After dinner, he spent a long time in the suite prepared for him with his visiting family. However, Lü Qi's assessment was slightly off; Tao Tang didn't visit his siblings. Instead, his brother, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and even his nephew, who was already working at Red Star, all arrived at the hotel to see him on his "triumphant return." The arrival of his relatives drove away two middle-level managers who had come to pay their respects. Tao Tang chatted with his relatives for an hour and a half, steer the conversation back to his chosen topic several times—only family matters, not official business. Finally, he excused himself, saying he needed to rest early, and sent his relatives away.

Of course, he refused his sister-in-law Bai Shuxian's request to stay at her home. The brother and sister were both so excited, as if they had found a great treasure. Only the honest brother-in-law Wu Shi'an inquired about their parents far away in Binjiang, which deeply saddened Tao Tang.

After his relatives left, Tao Tang called his parents and mother-in-law. His daughter, Xiao He, had already come home from evening self-study. He chatted with her on the phone for fifteen minutes, then took a shower and picked up the roster of middle-level cadres he had obtained from the Organization Department that afternoon. Based on his experience at Shengdong Company, the importance of middle-level administrative leaders far exceeded that of their deputies. The key to a top leader's control over a company lies in controlling the middle management, especially the middle-level administrative leaders, rather than controlling their deputies.

He flipped through the pages one by one, and finally, he saw the name. Next to the name was a phone number. He picked up the phone, then put it down again.

Unable to sleep, Tao Tang recalled the first time he brought Fang Lan home. They had taken a picture with the factory logo in the background, but perhaps due to a faulty camera or overexposure, the photo appeared somewhat washed out. The photo remained, but Fang Lan had turned to ashes six years ago, forever separated by death, never to be seen again.

Before his death, Fang Lan, who loved poetry, recommended Nalan's poems to him. Among them, "Huanxi Sha" was her favorite: "Who feels the chill of the west wind alone? Rustling yellow leaves close the sparse window. Lost in thought of the past, I stand in the setting sun. Do not be surprised by my deep sleep after drinking wine; the fragrance of spilled tea dispels my worries by betting on books. At the time, I thought it was just an ordinary thing."

He didn't particularly like the affected and sentimental style of the graceful school of poetry, but the scene of his wife explaining the poem to him was vividly imprinted in his mind. She said that "Huanxi Sha" seemed easy, but it was actually difficult to write, especially the concluding line. Nalan Rongruo's seemingly plain last line reveals profound skill; it could not have been written without deep emotion.

Little did he know that his words would come true, as Fang Lan tragically passed away... Tao Tang silently recited the words in his heart, and all the memories of his more than ten years of married life with Fang Lan flooded his mind. Those past events, which he hadn't thought were anything special at the time, were now so nostalgic and heartbreaking for him.

At the time, it seemed ordinary... An indescribable desolation deeply troubled Tao Tang. He picked up his phone, intending to browse the news to calm himself, but saw that an unknown number had called twice while he was showering, with only five minutes between the calls. Seeing that the number was local, Tao Tang didn't intend to call back. He had just tossed his phone onto the bedside table when the call came in again. He thought for a moment and then answered.

"Hello, old classmate! Can you recognize me?"

"To be honest, I can't tell." He was somewhat disappointed because the voice was male.

"Tang Yikun! Have you even forgotten that name?"

"Haha, I haven't forgotten... Hehe, how many years has it been since we last met? Twenty years?"

"To be precise, it was nineteen years. That year you came back with your wife, and we had a meal together."

"I remember, I remember... haha, but that slap left a deeper impression..."

"Haha, I've long forgotten the slap you gave me. Old classmate, I'm so happy to hear you're back at Hongxing. Today's Wednesday, let's get together this weekend, don't tell me you don't have time."

"Alright, Mr. Tang is now the richest man in Pingquan. He's doing me a favor, so I can't be ungrateful."

"Don't be so sarcastic. This is just a class reunion to catch up, nothing more. I know you're busy and tired, so I won't bother you anymore. I'll contact you later. Bye."

"Bye-Bye."

Tao Tang turned off the table lamp, hiding himself in the darkness.