Chapter 24: Truly a Bringer of Good Fortune!

As soon as Ma Jian finished speaking, Liang Hongjun shook his head repeatedly and said, “Director Ma, you’ve misunderstood—Comrade Zhao hasn’t said anything wrong at all. In fact, his explanation was brilliant, completely exceeding both Old Wang’s and my expectations.”

“That’s right! Comrade Zhao is truly remarkable. I just can’t understand how someone who’s just graduated from university could possess such expertise about motorcycle frames… He’s absolutely right. The new product from our factory does indeed use a single-tube cradle frame structure.”

Hearing this, Ma Jian’s gaze toward Zhao Guoyang changed entirely.

Although the three factory leaders had already noticed this young man was no ordinary figure, whether it was Mu Aijun, Ma Jian, or Wang Youchang, they had only considered him as a reserve cadre to be nurtured; none of them thought he was ready to take charge.

But now, the reactions of Liang Hongjun and Wang Hongxi made it clear to Ma Jian that he, Mu Aijun, and Wang Youchang had seriously underestimated Zhao Guoyang—and quite severely at that.

Zhao Guoyang himself didn’t find Liang Hongjun and Wang Hongxi’s astonishment out of place.

Back in the early 1990s, few people understood this type of frame structure, and manufacturers capable of producing it were even scarcer.

Let alone a small factory like Hongda Machinery; even many large-scale plants probably didn’t possess this level of production.

“Comrade Zhao, since you recognized the frame structure at a glance, does your factory have the confidence to produce a prototype?” Liang Hongjun asked suddenly.

Without hesitation, Zhao Guoyang nodded. “Technically, it shouldn’t be a problem. Our factory’s pipe-bending machine was manufactured by Wuxi Xintai Machinery Technology, a well-known company in the domestic industry.”

“Though this pipe bender isn’t quite at the international cutting edge yet, it’s definitely among the best in the country. Producing this underbone motorcycle frame shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

“Good!” Liang Hongjun said straightforwardly, “Then it’s settled. Old Wang, in a moment, have someone prepare a set of blueprints for Comrade Zhao to take back with him. Any objections?”

Wang Hongxi nodded, “Don’t worry, Minister Liang, of course there’s no problem. The blueprints are ready; I’ll have someone prepare them right away.”

Liang Hongjun then turned to Ma Jian and smiled. “Director Ma, let’s agree on this. So long as Hongda Machinery can produce a qualified prototype of the underbone motorcycle frame within a month, I can’t promise anything else, but at the very least, we’ll order two hundred frames a month from your factory. If you want more, you’ll have to negotiate with Purchasing.”

At this, Ma Jian’s heart surged with excitement.

My goodness, that’s two hundred frames for the new model! Seeing how much Minister Liang values this, the unit price must be higher than the previous frame.

In other words, this trip to Yangcheng had far exceeded his mission…

Thinking this, Ma Jian looked at Zhao Guoyang with immense satisfaction. This young man truly hadn’t let him down—he was indeed a bearer of good fortune!

“Of course, for the specifics of the procurement process, you’ll still need to coordinate with the Purchasing Department,” Liang Hongjun said with a grin. “Now, it’s almost lunchtime. Let’s head to the small cafeteria, and I’ll invite Director Zhang from Purchasing to join us. What do you say, Director Ma?”

The chance to meet the Director of Purchasing from Siyang Group and build a rapport was something Ma Jian was more than happy to accept.

Last time he’d come to Siyang Group, he’d had to work hard just to meet a Deputy Director from Purchasing.

He’d never even had a chance to see the actual Director.

Listening to the conversation between Liang Hongjun and Ma Jian, Zhao Guoyang couldn’t help but feel a bit reflective.

People in this era were still fairly genuine.

If this were the time before he was reborn, a massive enterprise like Siyang Group wouldn’t even spare a glance at a small supplier like Hongda Machinery.

Never mind the deputy director—even if you were the general manager visiting in person, at most a minor section chief would greet you.

Of course, Zhao Guoyang understood that Liang Hongjun’s enthusiasm in inviting Director Zhang also had something to do with himself.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he and Director Ma had managed to secure a new order for the factory. The resulting merit was undeniable, and the rewards that would follow were only natural.

Right now, what Zhao Guoyang needed most was seed capital.

With the technical knowledge stored in his mind, he could keep innovating for another twenty or thirty years without exhausting his ideas.

But all the know-how in the world was worthless without the equipment to put it into practice.

At this moment, capital became crucial.

Having been reborn, Zhao Guoyang had no intention of living an ordinary life.

In his previous life, he’d already reached the forefront of the industry; this time, he aimed to stand at the very peak of global industry and build a heavy industry empire.

…

The Siyang Group’s small cafeteria was on the top floor of the Siyang Hotel. Unlike the communal mess hall on the ground floor, this small dining hall was usually reserved for cadres at the department head level or above.

As one of the top-ranked middle managers at Siyang Group, and skilled in dealing with external contacts, Liang Hongjun was a regular at the small cafeteria.

Seeing him arrive with guests, the hotel staff immediately came to greet them.

Liang Hongjun was an affable man; he never put on airs with the staff. After mentioning the hospitality standards to the head waiter, he led Ma Jian and Zhao Guoyang to a private room.

Wang Hongxi was still in the office assigning tasks and hadn’t arrived yet, so Liang Hongjun hosted the other two for tea and conversation.

This time, Liang Hongjun focused his questions on Zhao Guoyang, inquiring about his personal situation—such as his income at the factory, his impression of Yangcheng, and so on.

Hearing these questions, Ma Jian felt a flicker of unease.

He was highly skilled at reading people, and as soon as he sensed Liang Hongjun’s seemingly casual probing, he grew wary.

Especially when Liang Hongjun asked Zhao Guoyang if he was interested in researching new motorcycle frames—Ma Jian became truly alert.

“This doesn’t look good… Could it be that Minister Liang has taken a liking to Guoyang and wants to recruit him?” Ma Jian wondered to himself.

However, after a few questions, Liang Hongjun let the topic drop and began discussing technical matters with Zhao Guoyang instead.

Seeing the conversation shift, Ma Jian finally relaxed.

Unlike Ma Jian, Zhao Guoyang, as the person involved, could easily decipher the intent behind Liang Hongjun’s questions.

The man’s words had been quite clear—he wanted to gauge Zhao Guoyang’s willingness to work in Yangcheng and his expectations regarding salary. In other words, he was extending an olive branch.

To be honest, Zhao Guoyang had a good impression of Liang Hongjun.

The man was accomplished in his field, with solid technical skills. Joining Siyang Group would definitely bring a significant boost in income.

Unfortunately, Zhao Guoyang was a family-oriented man and didn’t want to live too far from home.

Besides, he had complete confidence in his own future. No matter how high Siyang Group’s salary offer, it would not be enough to sway him.