4: Chapter 4 A Feast at Hongmen? Little did they know I was already sharpening my knives!

The man pushed his broken tricycle and slowly disappeared into the workshop entrance.

With a creak, Chen Er pulled the rusty iron door shut behind him and slid the bolt into place.

"Boss, he's gone," Chen Er said in a low voice.

Chen Xu stood silently, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The "ding-ling" of the tricycle fading into the distance was quickly masked by the sound of the wind in the industrial park.

But he did not let down his guard.

Wang Fugui was suspicious by nature.

A scrap collector spy was too insignificant; it wouldn't be enough to put his mind completely at ease.

He enjoyed the pleasure of stepping on someone in the mud and then grinding his heel twice.

If he didn't see with his own eyes that someone was at their wit's end, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

As expected...

In less than fifteen minutes, a steady set of footsteps approached from afar and stopped at the workshop entrance.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking echoed.

Chen Xu gave Chen Yi and Chen Er a meaningful look.

The two of them understood immediately.

Chen Er walked quickly to the oldest lathe in the corner.

He grabbed a piece of scrap steel and fixed it onto the chuck.

Chen Yi grabbed a large wrench and a hammer and stood beside him.

Only then did Chen Xu walk over and pull back the bolt.

A man around thirty years old stood at the door.

He was wearing a crisp jacket, his hair was combed back with a greasy shine, and he held a briefcase under his arm.

"Li Biao, what are you doing here?" Chen Xu feigned the irritation of being disturbed.

The man adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and spoke, "Little Chen, President Wang wasn't at ease, so he sent me over to check on the progress."

As he spoke, he unceremoniously stepped inside, his gaze sweeping across the entire workshop.

When he saw the broken-down CNC machine tool...

...and the pile of wretched scrap parts beside it, a look of understanding flashed behind his lenses.

"This is your production site? Little Boss Chen, this... is a bit of a betrayal of President Wang's trust, isn't it?"

Li Biao's words were laced with naked contempt.

Just then—

CLANG! A loud crash rang out.

In the corner, Chen Er started up the old lathe, and the piercing sound of metal friction filled the space.

"Boss! It's no good! I can't get this taper right no matter how I turn it!"

Chen Er shouted at the top of his lungs, his face full of "anxiety."

"Get out of the way!" Chen Yi shoved him aside, raised the heavy hammer, and smashed it against the lathe's tool post with a loud "thwack."

"Damn it! This piece of junk machine! The guide rails are warped! How the hell are we supposed to fix this!"

The noise was deafening.

The scene was chaotic and desperate, full of amateurism and incompetence.

One was operating in vain, while the other was repairing with brute force.

Li Biao's attention was drawn over as he watched those two clumsy "apprentices."

They felt like two brainless idiots.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Chen Xu.

Chen Xu was squatting on the ground, covered in oil stains.

He held a cracked motor casing in his hands, his eyes vacant.

This image was more persuasive than any words.

"Sigh." Li Biao let out a hypocritical sigh and pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Don't blame me, Little Boss Chen. I have to take a few photos for President Wang so I can report back."

Click, click.

He took several photos of the pile of scrap.

He also took several photos of the lathe undergoing "violent repairs."

Finally, he pointed the lens at Chen Xu, who was squatting on the ground, and took a close-up.

"Alright, I have to go back and report." Li Biao put away his phone and patted Chen Xu on the shoulder.

"Young man, don't be too ambitious. Just take this as a lesson learned."

With that, he didn't stay any longer, turning and sauntering away.

The iron door closed once more.

Chen Yi put down the hammer, and Chen Er turned off the lathe.

Silence returned to the workshop.

"Boss, how was the acting?" Chen Er asked.

Chen Xu stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off his clothes.

The dejection on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"It was enough."

One scrap collector, one trusted subordinate.

Two probes had seen the same "miserable state."

Wang Fugui's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could now be temporarily put back in his chest.

...

Lubao Electric Vehicle Factory, General Manager's Office.

Wang Fugui leaned back in his large executive chair, comfortably sipping freshly brewed Dahongpao tea.

Li Biao pushed the door open and entered.

"President Wang."

"How was it?" Wang Fugui didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Just as you expected." Li Biao handed over his phone and opened the photo album.

"That kid is finished. The factory is completely paralyzed, and his two apprentices are just two idiots."

Wang Fugui took the phone and flipped through the photos one by one.

When he saw the close-up of Chen Xu squatting on the ground, looking lost and dejected, he burst into reckless laughter.

"Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"

"This kid actually wanted to fight me? He's still too green!"

He tossed the phone back onto the desk, picked up a cigar cutter, and slowly prepared a Cuban cigar.

"Li Biao, you did very well."

"Next, it's my turn."

He dialed a number.

"Hello, Brother Zhang, it's Wang Fugui."

His voice became slick and affectionate.

"Right, right, right, I have something to tell you."

"That motor workshop in the eastern suburbs—next Monday, arrange for some people to go over and start the seizure process."

"Don't worry, I've already smoothed things over. When the auction comes, I'll bid the starting price, and I guarantee no one will compete with me!"

"I'll give you a big red envelope once it's done!"

After hanging up, Wang Fugui lit his cigar, took a deep drag, and blew out a smug smoke ring.

That three hundred thousand in liquidated damages would be his as well, and he'd get a factory for nothing.

He also wanted to make sure that kid Chen Xu, who didn't know his place, would have no room to stand in the entire industrial circle of Fei City!

...

Time flew by amidst the mechanical roar.

The sixth day, five o'clock in the morning.

When the last screw was tightened by Chen Er and the last motor finished its testing...

...everything was declared complete.

"Reporting to the boss."

"The two-hundredth unit, assembly and testing complete."

Chen Xu walked before the "forest" composed of two hundred brand-new motors.

He casually picked one up and connected it to the test power supply.

He pressed the switch.

There was no noise, no vibration.

Only an almost imperceptible "hum."

Perfect performance.

Top-tier quality.

Chen Xu picked up his old feature phone and found Wang Fugui's number.

The call connected.

"Hello?" Wang Fugui's voice carried the laziness and impatience of someone who had just woken up.

"President Wang, it's been six days."

Chen Xu's voice was confident.

"Two hundred motors. I have them ready."

"Please have the final payment ready; we'll meet this morning."

On the other end of the line, Wang Fugui was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.

"Hahahahaha! Little Chen! Are you fucking crazy or just pretending?"

"Good, good, good! I'll be waiting for you! If you have the guts, then bring the goods over!"

Wang Fugui's voice was full of mockery.

"I happen to be free today. I'll call everyone in the factory to give you a grand 'delivery ceremony'!"

"You'd better not fail to show up!"

He wanted to destroy Chen Xu's last shred of dignity in front of everyone.

Click.

Chen Xu hung up the phone.

A Hongmen Banquet?

What he wanted was precisely this stage.