Chapter 78: It Seems We’ve Found It

Originally, Zhao Guoyang thought things were more or less settled. But when he finished packing his luggage and climbed onto the truck, he discovered that the small vehicle was already filled with several woven plastic bags.

Seeing Zhao Guoyang arrive, the driver, Xiao Feng, greeted him enthusiastically, “Section Chief Zhao, everything’s loaded, just waiting for you.”

Zhao Guoyang was a little bewildered. Pointing at the bags in the back of the truck, he asked, “What are these?”

“Oh! You didn’t know? These are authentic Nanyue oranges, prepared for us by Sanyang Group! Earlier, someone from their logistics department brought them over. He asked if this was the truck from Hongda Machinery Factory for Section Chief Zhao. Upon hearing it was, he quickly gathered a few people to load the fruit.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guoyang finally understood. It seemed that the suit Liang Hongjun mentioned earlier was a personal gift, while these were official presents from the company.

Liang Hongjun’s well-meaning gesture was something Zhao Guoyang couldn’t easily refuse. Still, since these oranges must weigh several hundred jin, he decided to hand them over to the factory leaders for distribution upon his return. That would show his thoughtfulness, wouldn’t it?

He had originally intended to discuss the hair clip business with Bai Rou, but he couldn’t get through to her at the factory, so he had to put it aside for now.

When Zhao Guoyang left Sanyang Group, it was already past eight in the evening. As they passed through the main gate, he saw Wang Hongxi, Deputy Director of the Technical Quality Department, speaking with the security staff.

He hurriedly got out of the truck and greeted Wang Hongxi warmly.

Wang Hongxi was somewhat surprised to see Zhao Guoyang. Accepting the cigarette Zhao offered, he smiled and asked, “Section Chief Zhao, your trip was quite brief—how was the chassis inspection? Any issues?”

Zhao Guoyang quickly nodded, “Thank you for your concern, Director Wang. The chassis passed inspection. I wanted to invite you to dinner, but Director Liang said you were busy today…”

At this, Wang Hongxi gave a wry smile. “Yes, I’ve been busy all afternoon trying to find someone.”

Seeing Wang Hongxi’s troubled expression, Zhao Guoyang guessed the man didn’t have time to chat, so after exchanging a few pleasantries, he took his leave.

Watching the little truck disappear into the vast darkness, Wang Hongxi felt a strange sense of having missed something important.

The security chief, glancing cautiously at Wang Hongxi, reminded him, “Um, Director Wang, that truck also arrived this morning. When it came, Director Liang called ahead for clearance, so we didn’t register it…”

“What?” Wang Hongxi nearly jumped to his feet, grabbing the security chief by the shoulders. “You mean, there’s no record of this vehicle in our entry log?”

“That’s right, I remember that truck. It definitely wasn’t registered at the time!” At that moment, one of the gatekeepers chimed in.

Hearing this, Wang Hongxi was almost certain that the person who had made those bold statements and drawn the attention of the central leadership had finally been found.

To avoid making a mistake, Wang Hongxi took a deep breath and had the security staff double-check. After confirming that this was indeed the only unregistered vehicle in the past two days, Wang Hongxi dialed Liang Hongjun’s home number.

Liang Hongjun had just gotten home himself, a bit tipsy from drinking with Zhao Guoyang. When he picked up the phone, his mind was still foggy.

“Who is it? Who’s calling so late…”

“Director Liang, it’s me!” Wang Hongxi braced himself and spoke.

“Oh, Old Wang! What’s the matter, something urgent?” Hearing Wang Hongxi’s voice, Liang Hongjun sobered up halfway.

“Well, it’s like this, Director. It seems we’ve found the person that Elder Li was looking for…”

“What did you say? Hurry—tell me who it is! Are you certain?” At Wang Hongxi’s words, Liang Hongjun instantly became fully alert.

Seeing how anxious Director Liang was, Wang Hongxi dared not delay. He quickly shared his recent discoveries and deductions.

He concluded, “Director Liang, I’ve checked the registration list of all external personnel entering the factory over the past two days, one by one. I can almost rule everyone else out.”

“Only the truck from Hongda Machinery Factory was let in on your personal instruction, so the security didn’t register it. And I know Zhao Guoyang—this young man is indeed talented, capable of saying striking things, and his age matches the characteristics Elder Li described. What do you think…”

“No need to think! It must be that kid, Guoyang!” Liang Hongjun slapped his thigh.

“By the way, have they gone far? Can you catch up with them?”

“Well… They left over half an hour ago, so I’m afraid we can’t.” Wang Hongxi replied anxiously.

“Alright, I understand. Since the boy’s already slipped away, there’s no rush now.” Liang Hongjun instructed over the phone. “Old Wang, keep this matter quiet for now. Tomorrow, when we’re at work, let’s discuss how to handle it in detail, understood?”

“Understood, Director Liang. What about my ongoing investigation?”

“We’ve already found the person, no need to keep investigating. Call off the security team. That kid Guoyang, with a few careless words, has caused us so much trouble. We can’t let him off easily…” Liang Hongjun muttered to himself on the phone.

“Oh, right, Old Wang. You’ve been busy all day too. In a bit, call the security team together for a meal!” Liang Hongjun added.

“Yes, yes, Director. I was planning to invite them for a drink anyway. They’ve been running around all day—I feel bad about it…” Wang Hongxi replied with a laugh.

You have to understand, the Security Section of the nineties was nothing like today’s security guards; they were official factory employees, and the section chief was a cadre of some standing, not someone to be taken lightly.

“Make it a proper meal—good drinks, too. Old Wang, you really need to break that habit of being stingy, got it?” With the matter resolved, Liang Hongjun was in high spirits and made a joke at Wang Hongxi’s expense.

“Don’t worry, Director, I understand!” Wang Hongxi replied sheepishly, then hung up.

…

Zhao Guoyang, of course, was unaware of the little episode at Sanyang Group. He was dozing in the passenger seat.

Driving at night was routine for Xiao Feng the driver. Under his control, the little truck sped along quickly and steadily.

Suddenly, they jolted over something on the road. Although Xiao Feng kept the steering wheel steady, the bump woke Zhao Guoyang.

“Section Chief Zhao, there was a pothole I didn’t notice…” Xiao Feng explained hastily.

“Don’t worry about it!” Zhao Guoyang waved his hand, signaling Xiao Feng not to take it to heart.

Now that he was awake, Zhao Guoyang decided not to sleep anymore. Instead, he quietly reflected on the trip to Yangcheng, feeling he had gained a lot.

On the workshop side, the funding issue was resolved. With Bai Rou, a professional businesswoman, taking charge of marketing, sales should be manageable.

On the factory side, the chassis problem was solved. With this first trial production under their belt, small-batch manufacturing shouldn’t be much trouble either. Zhao Guoyang felt confident about that.

“However, if we really want to produce fifty chassis sets in one go, it’s not appropriate to keep bothering Xiangyang Machinery Factory. When I get back, I’ll have to report to the directors and push for the purchase of a laser spot welding machine. That’s the proper course,” Zhao Guoyang mused to himself.