This is a kind of wisdom – I wonder if anyone understands it.
That is, even though I’m planning to work extremely hard, I only say I’ll try to work a little harder. This way, if I can’t achieve it later, it’s not too embarrassing, but if I do – wow! That would be a surprise.
…This kind of useless wisdom filled my brain.
Back at the company, although I was doing the same work as before, with a more positive mindset, my performance appeared completely different. After just a few days, Xiao Dai noticed my “unusual” behavior.
It was a Saturday morning when I got up early to accompany Xiao Dai to inspect the newly completed factory area, preparing for next week’s inspection by relevant departments and making arrangements for the new production line installation.
Speaking of the new production line, it wasn’t new – it was second-hand equipment bought from a photovoltaic component manufacturer in Chengdu. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the equipment itself. Buying domestically was not only cheaper but also saved a huge amount on overseas shipping costs.
Currently, most photovoltaic component production equipment is imported, facing similar circumstances as high-end medical devices, but things will gradually improve. At least the supporting equipment has already been domestically produced.
After a busy morning, Xiao Dai and I ate boxed lunches at the factory for lunch. Too lazy to go to the factory management center, we simply found a relatively clean step to sit on in the workshop – completely informal.
Xiao Dai peered at my lunch box with suspicious intent. I moved away and protected it with my hand, warning him: “Men and women should maintain proper distance.”
Xiao Dai looked wrong, “I just wanted to see what you’re eating, why are you making such a fuss? What if Mr. Lin hears and misunderstands? Even if he doesn’t know, doesn’t my reputation matter?”
No matter what he said, I moved even further away.
After eating a few bites, Xiao Dai suddenly said: “Little Boss, I’ve noticed you’ve become more serious these past few days.”
“Wasn’t I serious before?”
“Before?” Xiao Dai snorted, “You’d be physically present at meetings but drawing cats and dogs in your notebook.”
“…”
“Observing your boyfriend, and drawing unrecognizable sketches of him.”
I had to disagree with that, “Mr. Lin looks so handsome in meetings, how can you say he’s unrecognizable?”
“I meant your drawings were ugly,” Xiao Dai entered roast mode, “See? You only notice how handsome he is, you didn’t hear a word Mr. Lin said.”
“Stop slandering me! I learned a lot!”
I didn’t want to engage with him, but after a few more bites, I still couldn’t let it go. I turned to tell Xiao Dai: “Just wait, I’ve decided to prove that we A University graduates are better than you J University folks!”
Xiao Dai looked up from his lunch box, confused for a moment, then exclaimed in shock: “Are you challenging me?”
“Yes!”
Xiao Dai put down his chopsticks, lost in thought for a while before asking: “Little Boss, did Mr. Lin ever tell you that I tested into Shanghai from a remote mountainous area in the west?”
“No.”
“My hometown…” his gaze became distant, “had nothing. It took over an hour walking mountain paths just to get to elementary school. When I was young, both school and home often had no electricity. You can’t imagine it… don’t sympathize with me.”
I was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook my head: “No, no, I swear I genuinely don’t sympathize with you. Besides, you’re so successful and energetic now, I can’t find anything to sympathize with!”
Xiao Dai: “…”
His melancholic mood couldn’t continue. He hastily concluded: “Anyway, people like you who were born in good places to good families wouldn’t understand. I made it out myself, but I still have parents and a sister at home – how can I not work hard? I used to work at a foreign company, the salary was high and the work was comfortable, but there’s only so far a Chinese person can go in a foreign company. You can see the ceiling, might as well come out and take a shot!”
He then took a big bite of rice.
My expression was hard to describe: “Although… but… we’re a legitimate enterprise, it’s not appropriate to describe it as ‘taking a shot’.”
“My mistake, my mistake. Little Boss, I’m just telling you, if you’re challenging me, your current level of effort is far from enough. Our Mr. Lin sleeps four or five hours a day, how long do you think I sleep?”
I: “…I was just kidding, let’s eat, don’t take it seriously.”
I was just joking before, but now…
Hmph~ Looking down on me, I’ll secretly work hard when I get back!
At this point, Chen-Jie, the technical supervisor of the new factory area, came over with her lunch box, sat down on the steps, and started eating with us. This supervisor was recruited along with the production line from Chengdu, a capable woman in her thirties. Though she’d only been here a few days, she’d already become a fan of the company cafeteria.
Sure enough, after just one bite, she praised it again: “This twice-cooked pork is authentic. Our company cafeteria is really good, I’m worried about my figure.”
“Chen-Jie, you don’t need to lose weight.” After complimenting her, I immediately gave credit to my boyfriend, “The cafeteria was improved when Mr. Lin came last year.”
This was news to Xiao Dai too, “Really? Looks like our Mr. Lin really cares about employees’ lives.”
“Maybe he just likes good food?”
“Makes sense, we shouldn’t overestimate human nature.”
Chen-jie: “…Corporate culture?”
Uh…
Chen-jie’s shocked expression quickly turned knowing, “I get it, message received.”
Even Xiao Dai had noticed I’d become more diligent, but Lin Yusen still hadn’t noticed, and I was getting a bit dissatisfied. That evening, after Lin Yusen finished his work and picked me up for dinner at his place, I chatted about my competition with Xiao Dai over dinner, then questioned him: “Haven’t you noticed I’ve been working very hard lately?”
Lin Yusen was very calm: “Of course I noticed.”
“Then why are you so indifferent?”
“I’m not, I’m secretly delighted.”
“…” If only there was even a hint of “delight” on your face!
My expression must have looked a bit hurt, because Lin Yusen couldn’t help but smile, “I prepared a reward for you, I’ll give it to you after dinner.”
There’s a reward?
Boyfriends are the best after all. I quickly finished eating and eagerly waited for him to reward me. However, when I received the thick stack of “rewards” from Lin Yusen…
I had only one thought.
Romance… is dead.
I took a deep breath and looked up at Lin Yusen, “Do you know what this gift of yours is equivalent to?”
Lin Yusen raised his eyebrows slightly.
“It’s like giving Five Years of Test Papers Three Years of Simulated Tests to your high school girlfriend, or CEE-6 Must-Pass Graduate School Guide to your college girlfriend, so what were you thinking when you gave me this—”
I held up the bound booklet in front of his eyes, “Shuangyuan Five-Year Development Proposal?”
“How is that the same?” Lin Yusen didn’t recognize his mistake at all, and even tried to convince me, “I wrote this myself, those things you mentioned are just printed materials.”
So what if you wrote it yourself? It’s not a love letter!
“Besides, didn’t you just say you wanted to secretly work hard to beat Xiao Dai? Isn’t this like giving martial arts manuals to lovers in wuxia novels?”
Hmm…
I was somewhat convinced.
I silently lowered my hand, and looking at the thick booklet again, it felt completely different. Now it was shining golden, titled “Three-Day Fast Track to Company Boss” “Workplace Guide to Managing Superiors.”
“Alright then.”
I turned and claimed his most comfortable sofa, immediately starting to read.
But now Lin Yusen seemed uncomfortable, standing there for a few seconds before coming over, “That’s it?”
“I’m just very gentle and kind and easy to please… oh, go away, go do your work.” I couldn’t even be bothered to glance at him, pushing him away with one hand.
But not only did I fail to push him away, he caught my paw, “At least listen to the origin of this proposal.”
“Oh, go on.”
A career-focused woman should be aloof, even with her paw still held in someone’s hand.
“This is the proposal I submitted to Sheng Yuan a month after I came to Shuangyuan last year. After Grandfather read it, he immediately agreed to increase investment and expand production scale.”
“Wait! Didn’t you say you wrote it for me? Deceiving an innocent girl?”
“It was originally about twenty pages, look how many pages it is now.”
I flipped to the end – fifty-three pages.
“So these past few days, not only were you working hard, I added a lot of content. Take your time reading it.”
Having expressed his good intentions, he finally walked away satisfied to do his work.
Sigh… Mr. Lin isn’t cold and profound anymore except occasionally when working.
Sometimes I even miss it…
I started reading the proposal seriously.
The beginning still covered the history of photovoltaics and the company’s operating conditions. Thanks to my recent knowledge accumulation, I read through this part quickly, until I reached the future outlook and strategic planning sections, where my pace slowed down.
As I read, I finally understood why Lin Yusen said he had added a lot of content these past few days. Because whenever I came across something I didn’t quite understand and was about to ask, I would find his explanations in the next line. The battle-hardened Mr. Sheng didn’t need these explanations – only a business novice (currently) like me would need them.
After quickly reading through it once, I closed the proposal, inevitably struck by Lin Yusen’s ambition revealed in the plan. Increasing R&D investment, expanding into the western region…
While digesting the content, I couldn’t help thinking about other aspects.
Lin Yusen said he submitted this business plan to Grandfather Sheng last year, and he immediately agreed to increase investment, which means they shared the same judgment about the industry’s future development trends. So giving Lin Yusen the Shuangyuan shares wasn’t a way of dismissing him? As for why other members of the Sheng family were happy, probably because they saw Shuangyuan’s performance decline these past two years and thought it had no future.
But it’s not strange that they think this way – how could Shuangyuan, with its current scale, ever reach the same level as an enterprise like Sheng Yuan?
Speaking of which, the name Shuangyuan is a bit outdated, obviously just combining Sheng Yuan and my father’s company’s names – their influence is very obvious.
As my thoughts continued to wander, I suddenly had an inspiration and excitedly suggested: “Lin Yusen, should we change the company’s name? Shuangyuan sounds a bit outdated, it just sounds like a combination of Sheng Yuan and Yuancheng.”
Lin Yusen looked up from behind his desk, “Sheng Yuan and Yuancheng are both major players in the Yangtze River Delta, no need to draw such clear boundaries.”
“That makes sense, but it’s a bit of a shame. I just had a flash of inspiration and thought of a destined name that feels like it would bring great luck.”
Lin Yusen became interested: “What is it?”
“Guangyu.” I emphasized it and explained, “It’s combining our names, since we’re the ones doing the work. Ladies first so my name is in front, definitely not meant to overshadow you.”
Lin Yusen didn’t even hesitate, immediately agreeing, “Okay, let’s change it.”
I secretly laughed: “Not riding on their coattails anymore? Is it because I put our names together that you changed your mind?”
“You’re overthinking it, it’s purely because the name is very fitting.” Lin Yusen said seriously, “Guang means light or energy, and yu means island, Guangyu can be interpreted as an island that absorbs and stores light, which matches our industry perfectly. Hmm, Xiguang, you have a talent for naming.”
I opened my eyes wide.
I don’t know if I have talent, but you’re good at making things up!
And so, my days at the company became more positive and fulfilling. Of course, I’m just a super ordinary college graduate, absolutely impossible to achieve anything earth-shattering right away, but I’ll accumulate bit by bit.
After being busy like this for a while, one day, Lin Yusen suddenly asked me: “You mentioned last time that Sheng Xingjie is dating your college roommate?”