69novels Chapter 1028 Gu Nan is being targeted
Chapter 1028 Gu Nan is being targeted
Xu Damao's story became increasingly plausible, his spittle almost splattering onto Gu Nan's face: "I heard that He Yuzhu is quite something now. Deputy Factory Director Li calls him 'Zhuzi' all the time, very affectionately! During the meal, he even said he wanted to promote him to head chef of the canteen. They're grooming him to be their right-hand man!"
In reality, Xu Damao had no idea about all these details. He had simply passed by the alleyway that morning and overheard the old shoe repairman mention that "people from the factory had dinner at Jufulou last night, quite a grand affair." He then embellished the story, fabricating a whole set of "secret tales." His calculations were shrewd—as long as he could incite Gu Nan's dissatisfaction with He Yuzhu, making Gu Nan feel that he was the only one genuinely loyal to him in the entire courtyard, wouldn't he receive many benefits from him at the factory in the future? Perhaps he could even be transferred from the projection team to the logistics department, which would be a lucrative position.
Gu Nan watched him spitting as he spoke, knowing exactly what was going on, but deliberately went along with him, saying, "Well done, I didn't expect you to have such a wide network of connections, able to find out even this little bit of information. I'll remember your contribution to this matter."
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao's eyes lit up like two lamps, his back straightened, and his face broke into a wide smile—it seemed he had made the right move! He quickly nodded and bowed, his tone obsequious: "It's only right to share Vice Director Gu's burdens! Um, Vice Director Gu, I'll go show the morning news program now. It wouldn't be good if I delayed the screening time; the director would blame me later."
Gu Nan nodded: "Go ahead."
Xu Damao happily hopped on his bicycle, pedaling twice until the chain clicked, as if celebrating his good fortune. He glanced back as he rode, and seeing that Gu Nan wasn't looking at him anymore, his smile deepened—now that was it! No matter how close He Yuzhu was to Deputy Factory Director Li, he wouldn't get any favors from Deputy Factory Director Gu! From now on, in the courtyard, who was superior and who was inferior would be decided by Xu Damao!
Gu Nan watched his figure disappear around the street corner, the bicycle's bell fading into the distance. A barely perceptible smile played on his lips as he gently shook his head. This petty trick, so lowly, he thought he could pull it off in front of him? He simply couldn't be bothered with it.
Gu Nan picked up his heavy tool bag and continued walking towards the steel rolling mill. The poplar leaves along the road were translucent in the morning light, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows at his feet like scattered gold dust, making his steps appear even more steady. Compared to the trivialities of family life and the cutthroat competition in the courtyard, he was more concerned about whether the newly arrived precision machine tools in the workshop could be successfully debugged, and whether next month's export orders could be completed on time—these practical matters were the foundation of the steel rolling mill, and they deserved his attention.
He recalled the scene he glimpsed that morning as he left: He Yuzhu, carrying an oil paper package, jogged towards the office building, seemingly rushing to deliver breakfast to Deputy Factory Director Li; while Lu Jia stood at the gate, watching his retreating figure, hesitant to speak, a calculating glint in her eyes. Gu Nan's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile, a knowing look spreading across his face: "Interesting. He Yuzhu is trying to ride on Deputy Factory Director Li's coattails to climb the ranks; Lu Jia is going around in circles trying to curry favor with me, trying to avoid offending either side? Too bad, they probably don't know that, let alone Deputy Factory Director Li, even I don't have the qualifications to be factory director right now. There's already word from above that someone will be sent down from the head office to oversee things."
But Gu Nan didn't intend to expose him. Some things are better left to fate; there's no need to reveal your hand prematurely. Deputy Factory Director Li loves to win people over with treats, so let him spend his money; He Yuzhu wants to climb the ranks through scheming, so let him do as he pleases. When it all comes to nothing in the end, he'll naturally realize how absurd he was.
As Gu Nan entered the steel rolling mill, he could see Deputy Director Li standing on the steps in front of the office building, one hand on the wall, his brows furrowed like a twisted rag, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot, and his gaze somewhat unfocused. Gu Nan could tell at a glance that this man must have drunk quite a bit last night, and was still feeling unwell from the effects of the alcohol.
"Deputy Factory Director Gu, you're a bit late today." When Deputy Factory Director Li saw him, he immediately straightened his back, tried to put on some spirit, and forced a smile. However, the smile looked unconvincing, and even his voice sounded a bit unsteady.
Gu Nan smiled calmly and said in a peaceful tone, "Something came up at home and took a while. I'm sorry to have kept Deputy Factory Director Li waiting."
Deputy Factory Director Li was secretly calculating: Although many veteran workers in the factory respected Gu Nan's skills and thought he was reliable, he knew more people and had a wider network of connections. If it came down to tactics, dealing with Gu Nan, who only knew how to manage production, would be a piece of cake. He cleared his throat, deliberately raised his voice, and said with a hint of admonition, "Deputy Factory Director Gu, although you are now a deputy factory director, you still need to pay attention to the factory's affairs. The burden of production is heavy, and it all rests on your shoulders. You can't afford to make any mistakes."
“Of course.” Gu Nan nodded in agreement, glancing at the clock on the office building wall. The hour hand was already pointing to 8:30. “The production scheduling meeting is about to start. I’ll go back to my office to prepare the meeting materials.”
Deputy Factory Director Li wanted to say something more, to emphasize his "leadership authority" a few more times, but Gu Nan had already turned and walked towards the office building—he really had a lot on his plate, and hadn't finished reading the debugging report for the new machine tool, so he didn't have time to waste with the other party.
Deputy Factory Director Li watched his straight back, his face darkening. He cursed inwardly: What's with the arrogance? So what if he knows a little about machines? Once I'm firmly in my position as factory director, I'll see how I deal with you! I'll take back all the power over production and make you work in the workshop tightening screws! But he could only rage in his heart. After all, Gu Nan was now in charge of production. If he really angered him and delayed the tasks assigned by his superiors, he, as the deputy factory director, couldn't afford to take the blame.
Gu Nan had just returned to his office and picked up the thermos to pour himself a cup of hot water when a young worker in blue overalls rushed in, clutching an oil-stained record board. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his voice trembled: "Deputy Factory Director Gu, something terrible has happened! The new boring machine in the workshop is malfunctioning. It keeps jamming and sparking when it starts up. You need to go take a look!"
Gu Nan put down the thermos, his brows furrowing instantly. He was now the deputy factory director, and theoretically, he didn't need to do everything himself; there were dedicated engineers responsible for equipment maintenance. But he still said in a deep voice, "Where are our engineers? Such a big matter, and they didn't handle it?"
"They've gone! Several of them have gone!" The worker stamped his feet anxiously, his voice trembling with tears. "They've been circling the machine for almost an hour, taking it apart and putting it back together, taking it apart and putting it back together, checking and checking but they still can't find the problem. Now they're all worried! If this boring machine can't be started, the precision parts for this afternoon can't be processed, and the order will be delayed!"