Chapter 79: Do You Have Any Thoughts?

Traveling through the night, their speed was considerably faster than usual. From Yangcheng back to Ninghai City, a journey of over a thousand kilometers, Zhao Guoyang and his companions rested only themselves, never the vehicle, and managed to arrive in less than twenty hours.

When they reached the factory, it was just after work hours, and many employees were already heading toward the gate. As the small truck entered through the main entrance, it drew the attention of everyone nearby. Zhao Guoyang instructed Xiao Feng not to stop, but to drive directly to the administrative building.

"Xiao Feng, wait for me in the truck for a while. I'll go upstairs and report to the directors," Zhao Guoyang said to his driver before stepping out.

He had just begun to ascend the stairs when he heard the low, steady voice of Mu Aijun coming from the director’s office.

"Commander, thank you for your concern and support. As you said, for someone like me, a transferred officer, working in local positions is indeed more suitable," Mu was saying. "But I have poured so much emotion and effort into Hongda Machinery Factory, and its current situation is quite promising. I want to persist a bit longer."

"Alright, commander, I've taken note. If I change my mind, I'll inform you immediately..."

Though he caught only fragments of conversation, Zhao Guoyang could tell Director Mu was speaking to an old leader from his past. Out of courtesy, Zhao Guoyang didn’t knock right away; instead, he waited until Mu Aijun finished his call before gently tapping on the door.

"Come in!" came Mu's voice from inside.

As Zhao Guoyang entered, he saw a relieved expression on Mu Aijun’s face, evidence that the recent call had lifted much of his burden.

Of course, Zhao Guoyang would not pry into the director’s private affairs. He respectfully greeted him, "Director Mu, I've returned."

Seeing Zhao Guoyang's calm demeanor, Mu Aijun knew at once that the journey had yielded results.

"Guoyang, you’re back so soon. I thought you and Xiao Feng might spend a couple of days in Yangcheng. So, tell me—is there any problem with the trial chassis, now that you personally oversaw it?"

Zhao Guoyang nodded with reserved pride and briefly recounted the events of his trip.

Finally, he smiled and said, "Director, the Sanyang Group is very satisfied with our trial chassis. They’ve asked us to prepare for another batch: within a month, they want fifty more units for small-scale testing. If those fifty pass muster, then they’re ready to sign a long-term supply contract with us."

Hearing this good news, Mu Aijun was overjoyed. He waved Zhao Guoyang to wait and immediately dialed Ma Jian’s office.

"Old Ma, Guoyang’s back and he has good news. Yes, come to my office now. See if Old Wang is in his office—bring him along too!"

After hanging up, Mu Aijun looked at Zhao Guoyang with genuine contentment. Since this young man had arrived at Hongda Machinery Factory, it was as if a surge of vitality had flooded the whole enterprise, bringing about many unexpected changes.

This young man, not only technically proficient, also possessed an exceptional talent for organizing production and promoting products—far beyond ordinary people. If Mu Aijun weren’t worried about causing too much of a stir, he would have already considered promoting him to a preparatory leadership post at the factory level.

Reflecting on the confidence he’d just shown during his pledge to his old commander, Mu Aijun understood that much of his optimism about the factory’s future stemmed from Zhao Guoyang.

While waiting for Ma Jian and Wang Youchang, Mu mused for a moment and then decided to mention his recent phone call to his old leader.

He beckoned Zhao Guoyang closer, saying, "Guoyang, you might have overheard a bit outside. I was just on the phone with an old commander from my army days. He cares a lot about me and wants to transfer me to work in a ministry in the capital. He asked for my thoughts. What do you think?"

Zhao Guoyang was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Director Mu to share this matter so openly—it was, in a way, treating him as a trusted confidant.

Mu’s question was not easy to answer. Zhao Guoyang pondered carefully before raising his head. "Director Mu, here’s how I see it. You’re currently at the rank of division chief, right? For our little factory, which is only deputy division level, it’s a bit like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken. If you could secure a post in local government that matches your rank, that would be excellent."

"But in Ninghai City, at your level, only the top municipal officials—like the mayor—would be suitable. If you want to transfer to a government agency, it’s hard to arrange. So, if you have an opportunity to go to a ministry in the capital, I think that’s actually a good option."

Perhaps fearing his words might be misunderstood, Zhao Guoyang quickly added, "Of course, I have a bit of selfishness here. Hongda Machinery Factory is bound to grow in the future, and if you become a high-ranking official in a capital ministry, you could look out for us, right?"

Mu Aijun couldn’t help but smile at Zhao Guoyang’s pleasing remarks.

He tapped Zhao Guoyang’s shoulder and said, "Guoyang, you really do know a lot—university graduates are truly different!"

Though Zhao Guoyang sought to flatter Mu Aijun, his reasoning was sound. Mu himself knew that, coming from a military background, he was indeed less experienced in enterprise management and business operations than those who had been immersed in the field from the start.

He’d chosen Hongda Machinery Factory partly because there was no suitable position for him in the Ninghai City Party Committee or government, and partly because he wanted to challenge himself—to see if he could revitalize a factory that was steadily declining.

The results were satisfactory. Because he had proactively requested to work in the enterprise, he was specially favored when transferring careers; his original rank was retained rather than demoted.

Zhao Guoyang was right. His current administrative rank was indeed on par with Ninghai City’s senior officials. If he wanted a local government post, it would be difficult to arrange in Ninghai.

So where else could he be transferred? Perhaps to Guangling City, to head some obscure department as its chief, or to serve as the deputy in some important bureau. Neither option appealed to Mu Aijun.

In truth, Mu Aijun wasn't obsessed with officialdom, but he did wish to advance his career, to make his life more remarkable and to serve the people more effectively.

From this perspective, the commander’s phone call was indeed tempting.

His current rank was division chief. If he went to a central ministry, even if he couldn’t be the head of a major office, with his old commander’s support, a deputy office chief post was assured.

A deputy chief in a central ministry is far more prestigious than an ordinary bureau chief in the provinces, with incomparable authority—when visiting localities, even department-level officials would have to accompany him.

Moreover, with his old commander’s support and his age advantage, Mu Aijun believed that division chief was far from the end of his career.

Yet, after much deliberation, Mu ultimately declined the commander’s offer.

Why? Because he believed he could accomplish something remarkable at Hongda Machinery Factory.