Chapter 89

Kinder did not say much; he simply greeted everyone briefly and then found a place to sit down, showing no intention of interacting with anyone. However, no one present was surprised or thought it inappropriate; in fact, they considered his aloof and distant attitude to be entirely justified.

Reform and opening up had been going on for a few years, and people were no longer as ignorant about foreign countries as they were a few years ago. With more and more people traveling abroad, they learned from their relatives, friends, and leaders who had been overseas that the situation in foreign countries was completely different from what they had been taught. The common people in foreign countries were not oppressed and struggling on the brink of survival, waiting to be liberated. Instead, they had cars and luxurious villas, and it was said that every household had a large warehouse specifically for storing color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and video recorders. When their household appliances broke down, they did not bother to repair them but simply threw them away and replaced them with new ones from the warehouse...

It was said that many international students picked up these discarded appliances, repaired them, and used them at home, not only saving money but also enjoying a modern lifestyle...

It was also said that technical personnel like Mr. Kinder, who were stationed in our country, received a daily allowance of over a hundred dollars from the headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany...

Therefore, it was completely normal for him to be reserved and proud. It would be abnormal if he were not. On the contrary, Chen Geng, that guy, must have had some good luck to gain the favor of such a German engineer. It was truly... a blind move by heaven. Why wasn't it me?

But as soon as Kinder entered, he didn't need to do anything; just his presence made everyone lower their voices, afraid of disturbing this distinguished foreign guest. In this era, Chen Geng was the only one in the entire Hai Zhou who could invite a foreigner to stand by and support him at important events.

Why did Chen Geng need Kinder to support him? Because so many units had come, but only five would ultimately sign cooperation agreements with Runhua Industries. Would those who were not selected be willing to accept it? Of course not! Although Chen Geng had established a very strict scoring system for this era, which quantified the equipment, number of technical workers, scale, and factory area of each unit, and selected the top 10 based on the total score, if any of the top 5 found Runhua's conditions too strict and refused to cooperate, the next in line would be substituted. However, no one who came would be willing to give up this opportunity.

Among the units that came, some were in very poor condition, but why did they still come despite knowing their scores were low? It was simply a matter of侥幸 (侥幸 means侥幸, a侥幸 attitude): Although our conditions are not good, maybe the conditions of other units are not good either. If those with better conditions don't come, we might have a chance...

They had high hopes, but no one was willing to give up such a profitable project.

So, when the final scores were announced, the factory managers and party secretaries who did not make the cut immediately protested:

"That's not right. Why is our unit's score so low? Did you make a mistake in the calculation?"

"Our factory's score is also wrong. Factory Manager Ma's unit is in worse condition than ours, so why is their score higher?"

"Manager Chen, our unit is ranked sixth, just one point behind the top five. Can you give us a chance?"

The scene was chaotic, with demands for re-evaluation and claims of unfair treatment. At this moment, Kinder's role became evident...

With a nod from Chen Geng, Kinder lightly coughed.

Kinder's cough was not loud, but it immediately silenced the noisy meeting room, as if an invisible hand had clamped everyone's throat.

Although no one knew why Mr. Kinder was dissatisfied or what right he had to be dissatisfied, everyone knew that without Mr. Kinder's support, there would be no Runhua Industries today. Chen Geng would never offend Mr. Kinder for his own sake. Therefore, since Mr. Kinder had expressed his dissatisfaction, it was best to be obedient.

Kinder did not speak, but Chen Geng lightly coughed and said, "Comrades, rules are rules. Since we have already set the rules, we must follow them. If anyone thinks their unit's data is incorrect, they can recalculate it, but if we find no errors, will you give us an explanation?"

As soon as Chen Geng spoke, the factory managers and party secretaries who had been shouting about their unit's scores immediately lowered their heads, pretending that the person who shouted was not them.

Chen Geng did not bother to argue with them and looked at the 6th-ranked factory manager, "Factory Manager Ye, your unit missed out by just one point. I understand your frustration, but the 7th-ranked unit is only three points behind you. If I give your unit a chance, should I also give the 7th-ranked unit a chance? The 8th-ranked unit is also close to the 7th. If I start making exceptions, it will be hard to stop. Do you agree?"

Indeed, everyone acknowledged Chen Geng's logic.

Indeed, rules are rules. With so many enterprises, only five were needed. If an exception was made for one, it would break the rules. Once the rules were broken, it would be unfair to everyone. If Chen Geng could make an exception for the 6th-ranked unit, why not for others? This would never end, so it was better to stop it from the beginning.

While this was true, Factory Manager Ye still felt wronged and loudly defended himself, "Manager Chen, if our factory lost out due to technical inferiority, I would have no complaints. But we only lost by one point because our location is a bit remote. But being in a remote location doesn't affect car repairs."

When Factory Manager Ye said this, everyone felt for him. Although location was indeed a factor in the scoring, the technical capabilities of the units were similar. Factory Manager Ye's unit lost out just because of its location, which was... sigh... like being hit by bird droppings from the sky.

A colleague who was familiar with Factory Manager Ye sympathetically said, "Old Ye is indeed unlucky, but it's not his fault. The location of the unit is not something he can decide."

"True, but since the rules are set, there's nothing he can do. Everyone has their own difficulties, and we can't make exceptions for everyone."

"But it's not impossible..."

"Tsk! Then it would be like the old days of equal sharing. Besides, the technology is Manager Chen's. It's generous of him to share it with you, but you can't take advantage of him."

"Let's stop arguing and see what Manager Chen says."

"Right, let's stop arguing and see what Manager Chen says."

After the argument, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Geng.

Factory Manager Ye was particularly nervous. Although reason told him that Chen Geng would not make an exception for him, he still held out a sliver of hope: What if there was a chance?

Facing everyone's gaze, Chen Geng slowly said, "I personally sympathize with Factory Manager Ye's situation..."

Factory Manager Ye's heart sank: It's not good!

Sure enough, Chen Geng continued, "But rules are rules. Since no one objected to our method of selecting partners before, these rules are recognized by everyone present. I sympathize with Factory Manager Ye's unit, but rules are rules. If everyone recognizes the rules, we must respect the results, or it would be unfair to everyone."

Pausing slightly, Chen Geng continued, "Of course, if any of the top 5 units find Runhua's conditions too strict and refuse to accept them, Factory Manager Ye's unit can be substituted. This is allowed by the rules. Now, I want to ask if any of the top 5 units cannot accept Runhua's conditions or are willing to give their qualification to Factory Manager Ye's unit?"

The factory managers and party secretaries of the top 5 units quickly shook their heads: What a joke! Everyone here was struggling and counting on Manager Chen to help them. If they found the conditions unacceptable, they wouldn't be here today.

As for giving their qualification to Factory Manager Ye? Whoever did that would be torn apart by the hundreds of workers in their factory!

With a sliver of hope, Factory Manager Ye looked at each of them. When he confirmed that no one was willing to give up their qualification, the 40-something man painfully covered his face.

But who could he blame? No one. If he had to blame someone, it was his own bad luck.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave, some with forced smiles and others with gloomy faces, Chen Geng spoke again, "However, for those units that did not make the cut this time, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

PS: It's the weekend today. I know everyone probably wants to curse, but my in-laws and my parents took care of my son yesterday, and today, my wife and I feel it's not right to ask them to continue. So, there's only one update today. Please understand, as we are a family with a child, and family harmony is very important. What do you think?

However, unlike before, there will be two updates tomorrow, not just one for two consecutive days.