3: Chapter 3: If you're going to act, you have to go all the way!

Three days later.

Inside the workshop, the mechanical roar was no longer noise, but a symphony belonging to industry.

Chen Yi and Chen Er were each stationed at a CNC machine, responsible for the final processing of all core components.

The other stood by the assembly table.

Their cooperation had surpassed simple teamwork, reaching a state of telepathic synchronization.

Just as Chen Yi removed a still-warm rotor from the machine, Chen Er already had the corresponding bearing and casing ready without a word being spoken.

It was a seamless handover.

The motor's core was assembled and steadily placed on the dynamic balancing machine.

Testing, packaging, stacking.

The entire process was compressed to the extreme.

Finished motors, covered by waterproof tarps, were already stacked three layers high on the floor.

Just then, a piercing ringtone cut through the workshop's concerto.

Chen Xu picked up the old feature phone; the name "Wang Fugui" was flashing frantically on the screen.

He waved a hand at Chen Yi and Chen Er.

In an instant, the high-pitched whistle of the CNC machines came to a dead stop.

Chen Xu cleared his throat. The moment he answered the call, his entire aura shifted, his voice becoming filled with exhaustion and hoarseness.

"Hello, Boss Wang."

"Little Chen, I've been counting the days. This is the third day now."

In the greasy laughter of Wang Fugui on the other end, the tone of someone watching a disaster unfold wasn't even hidden.

"How's it going? Is that broken machine of yours fixed yet? You haven't failed to produce even a single part, have you?"

Chen Xu leaned against the wall, deliberately making his breathing sound heavy and suppressed.

"Boss Wang... I... I'm still trying to find a way."

"The damage to the spindle is too severe. I can't find a matching model domestically, and they say imported parts will take a month."

Every word he spoke dripped with the despair of someone at a dead end; his acting was flawless.

"Oh? Really?" Wang Fugui drawled, his schadenfreude practically oozing through the receiver.

"Then what's to be done? There are only four days left until delivery."

"Little Chen, I'm not trying to scare you, but I've already had the legal department prepare the documents for the three hundred thousand yuan liquidated damages."

"Boss Wang, please give me a few more days, I'll definitely..."

"A few more days?" Wang Fugui interrupted him rudely.

"A contract is a contract! I, Wang Fugui, operate on the streets based on the word 'trust'! If you break the rules, you have to pay the price!"

"I'm telling you, don't waste your energy."

"Start thinking about where to scrape the money together, otherwise, when the court people come knocking, it won't be a pretty sight."

With that, Wang Fugui hung up the phone.

Listening to the busy tone, the dejection and helplessness on Chen Xu's face vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.

You really think you've got me?

His gaze swept over the assembled motors, a surge of pride rising in his chest.

"Chen Er, take inventory."

"Yes, Boss."

Chen Er put down his tools and walked to the finished product area to start counting.

"Reporting to the Boss, as of now, one hundred and thirty units have been produced."

"All have passed dynamic balancing and insulation tests. Performance indicators are qualified."

One hundred and thirty units!

Three days!

Three people, and a pile of junk equipment!

Chen Xu casually picked up a finished motor.

The casing reflected a uniform, delicate metallic luster under the light; the seams were so perfect they seemed integrated, without a single flaw.

He connected it to the test power supply.

When the motor started, there was only an extremely faint and steady hum; one couldn't even notice it without leaning in close.

This silence represented the ultimate in dynamic balancing and perfect assembly precision.

Its performance had already left the shoddy, counterfeit trash from Wang Fugui's factory more than an era behind.

It was even a grade higher than the mainstream products of top-tier brands on the market.

But Chen Xu didn't let the victory go to his head.

With Wang Fugui's petty and vindictive character, a single phone call to probe wouldn't be nearly enough to satisfy him.

What he enjoyed was the twisted pleasure of personally witnessing his opponent fall into the dust and ruin.

He would definitely send someone to confirm his 'misery' with their own eyes.

"Chen Yi, Chen Er, pause production," Chen Xu's command was clear and swift.

"We have a new job."

The two immediately stopped working and awaited instructions.

"Next, we're going to put on a play."

"Bring out all the rejects and scrap parts we discarded before and pile them up right next to that CNC machine."

"Chen Yi, use some scrap material to deliberately make several half-finished products with obvious defects—cracks in the casing, crooked rotor shafts—make them look as miserable as possible."

"Chen Er, take those finished motors, cover them with that largest oilcloth, and move them to the innermost corner.

"Throw some junk on top so it looks like a pile of unwanted scrap metal."

"Understood, Boss."

Chen Yi and Chen Er acted immediately.

The originally orderly workshop quickly became a mess in their hands.

Scrapped rotors and deformed parts that had been tossed into the trash...

...were retrieved and piled haphazardly in the most prominent positions.

Chen Yi operated the lathe, and in just a few minutes, he 'manufactured' a batch of pathetic-looking defective products, which were scattered crookedly on the floor.

Chen Er hid the one hundred and thirty motors securely in the corner.

Finally, he even scooped some pitch-black engine oil from a waste oil drum and splashed it randomly on the ground.

It created an atmosphere of frantic disarray and total loss of control.

In less than ten minutes...

...an efficient and clean production workshop had turned into a dilapidated scene of paralyzed equipment, stalled production, oil-stained floors, and impending bankruptcy.

Chen Xu also changed into an old, oil-stained work uniform.

He grabbed a wrench and squatted on the ground with a dejected expression, staring blankly at a 'scrapped' part.

Everything was ready.

Sure enough, half an hour later...

...a figure appeared at the workshop entrance.

It was a man in his forties, wearing faded work clothes.

He was pushing a rusty tricycle with a sign hanging on the front that read 'High Price for Scrap Metal.'

He poked his head in and peered around.

"Boss, any... any scrap metal for sale?" the man shouted, his eyes scanning every corner of the workshop.

When his gaze fell on the pile of scrap parts by the CNC machine and the defective products on the floor, the joy in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.

Chen Xu looked up 'irritably' and waved him away.

"Not selling, not selling! Get out, get out, get out! Can't you see I'm busy being frustrated?"

This look of exasperation and being on the verge of collapse was just right.

"Don't be like that, Boss." The scrap collector didn't leave; instead, he walked in, acting like they were old friends.

"I see your factory... are you having some trouble? So much good iron."

"It's a waste to throw it away. Selling it to me could at least get you some money for a meal."

His eyes scanned the factory and finally fixed on the bulging oilcloth in the corner.

That was where all of Chen Xu's hopes for a comeback were hidden.

Chen Xu's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impatient.

"I told you to get lost, can't you understand human speech? If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!"

"Hey, don't, don't do that. I'm leaving, I'm leaving."

The man waved his hands quickly, but the smile on his face grew even brighter.

He had seen everything he wanted to see.

The scrap by the equipment, the defective products on the floor.

And the desperate expression of this young boss.

It was done.

This kid was completely finished.

The man was satisfied and no longer lingered, pushing his broken tricycle and slowly turning away.