thefictionvixens Chapter 15 Are you very familiar with her?
Chapter 15 Are you very familiar with her?
Soon, Zhang Tianhua and Lin Yusen returned.
"We agree to cooperate on a project and ask you to help optimize the process parameters of production line No. 3."
Zhang Tianhua's tone became much more formal, and the initial probing was gone.
"In the first phase, we will conduct pilot improvements on the three issues you just mentioned: closed-loop control of screen printing pressure, online monitoring of cleaning solution concentration, and uniformity of annealing furnace temperature zones."
"The cycle is one month, starting next Monday."
He paused, then looked at Lin Yusen.
Lin Yusen nodded.
Zhang Tianhua continued: "The payment will be based on the actual benefits of the solution. Our finance and technical departments will jointly form an evaluation team, using the average data over the three months following optimization as the standard. 30% of the energy-saving benefits will be your technical service fee, with a minimum of 50,000 yuan and no upper limit."
It's very fair, even quite generous.
There's clearly an element of Hua Xiangyang's strong recommendation behind this.
"Okay." Yu Chen nodded without any haggling or hesitation. "I need access to the pilot production line's complete production data for the past six months, including work order records, equipment alarm logs, and quality inspection reports in the MES system."
"At the same time, I need direct communication channels with the technical team, including but not limited to daily stand-up meetings and meetings to tackle technical challenges."
"Li Gonghui, the deputy director of the technical department, will fully cooperate with you. He is Hua Zong's right-hand man and is most familiar with the production line," Lin Yusen said, pulling a dark gray card from his business card holder. "For specific work coordination and resource sharing, you can contact him directly. If you encounter any issues outside his authority, you can contact me."
"Thank you, Mr. Lin." Yu Chen put the business card into his shirt pocket.
"No need to thank me." Lin Yusen looked at him, a fleeting, unreadable emotion in his eyes. "Shuangyuan needs someone who can solve problems right now, and you..."
He paused for half a second, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "It just so happens to be the person who can solve the problem."
Lin Yusen leaned back slightly, his gaze falling on Yu Chen's face, and suddenly asked, "Mr. Yu, are you and Nie Xiguang from the Finance Department old acquaintances?"
The question came abruptly and had nothing to do with the previous talks.
Zhang Tianhua paused, holding his teacup, and looked at Lin Yusen.
Yu Chen's expression remained unchanged.
He had anticipated that Lin Yusen would ask a question.
Given Lin Yusen's personality, it's impossible that he wouldn't have investigated that chance encounter in the cafeteria.
"I had helped her with some information retrieval and data organization before, so we know each other."
"Just acquaintances?" Lin Yusen pressed, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of pressure.
Yu Chen looked up and calmly met his gaze: "Why does President Lin ask that?"
The air fell silent for a moment.
Zhang Tianhua coughed lightly, trying to smooth things over: "Yusen, Mr. Yu is here to discuss technical cooperation."
Lin Yusen withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to its usual indifference: "Just asking casually. Nie Xiguang performed well; I thought you young people would be more familiar with each other."
These words were spoken flawlessly, but Yu Chen sensed the underlying meaning.
He nodded, not delving into the details: "Nie Xiguang is very outstanding and dedicated to his profession."
The conversation ends here.
Zhang Tianhua explained a few more details about the cooperation, agreed to officially launch the project next week, and then ended the meeting.
When Yu Chen left the administration building, it was already 4:30 pm.
The autumn sun slanted down, lengthening the shadows of the buildings.
He stood on the steps, watching the vehicles and workers coming and going in the factory area, but his mind was still on Lin Yusen's question from earlier.
Are you that concerned about his relationship with Nie Xiguang?
It seems that Lin Yusen's obsession with Nie Xiguang in the original work was much deeper and more troublesome than he had imagined.
This kind of obsession, when misunderstandings remain unresolved, can easily turn into targeted harassment and defensiveness.
My phone vibrated.
It was a message from Nie Xiguang: "I heard you met with President Zhang and President Lin? How did it go? ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)"
Yu Chen typed: "Things went fairly smoothly, we signed the project cooperation agreement. How about you? Are you off work yet?"
"Just finished working and waiting for your message," she replied quickly. "Are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner to celebrate *^o^*"
Yu Chen looked at the line of text, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
"Okay. You choose the location."
"Go out of the east gate of the factory area, turn left and walk 200 meters, there's a Suzhou-style restaurant called 'Wu Ji'. See you at six o'clock?"
See you at six.
Putting away his phone, Yu Chen walked down the steps.
A breeze blew by, carrying the faint sounds of machinery from the distant workshop, and also a touch of early autumn coolness.
---
At 6 p.m., at the "Wu Ji" restaurant.
The shop is small, but it is clean and tidy.
Wooden tables and chairs, several ink paintings hanging on the white walls, and the air filled with the aroma of sweet and sour dishes and steaming.
Nie Xiguang had arrived and was sitting by the window.
She changed into a beige knit sweater, her hair loosely tied back, and when she looked down at the menu, her profile appeared exceptionally soft under the warm yellow light.
Yu Chen walked over, and the wooden floor made a slight creaking sound.
Nie Xiguang looked up when she heard the sound, and when she saw him, her eyes lit up instantly, as if stars had fallen into them.
"Have you been waiting long?" Yu Chen pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
"No, I just arrived too." Nie Xiguang closed the menu and pushed it in front of him. "Take a look and see what you'd like to eat? Their stir-fried shrimp, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and braised pork with bamboo shoots are all signature dishes."
Yu Chen didn't look at the menu, but smiled and said, "You order, you know the place better. I'm not picky."
Nie Xiguang beckoned to the waiter and skillfully ordered several dishes:
Stir-fried shrimp, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, braised pork and bamboo shoots with vegetables, plus a stir-fried vegetable dish, and two bowls of rice.
The waiter noted down the menu and left, leaving only the two of them in the small space for the time being.
"How was it?" Nie Xiguang placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at Yu Chen. "Did President Lin and the others give you a hard time today? Is he particularly difficult to deal with?" His tone was full of undisguised concern.
Yu Chen picked up the teapot on the table and poured barley tea into both her and her cups.
"No, it went very smoothly." He put down the teapot, his voice calm. "General Manager Zhang was very agreeable, and General Manager Hua has a lot of influence. As for General Manager Lin..."
Yu Chen paused for a moment, then chose a relatively neutral word, "Very professional, the questions were all on point, but all within the normal scope of technical and business negotiations."
He didn't mention Lin Yusen's last question about her.
Nie Xiguang listened intently, but when he heard "payment based on performance," his brows furrowed deeply: "Won't that put too much pressure on you?"
"Pressure is a motivator," Yu Chen smiled. "Besides, I'm confident in my plan."
Nie Xiguang looked at him and suddenly whispered, "Yu Chen, you are really amazing."
The tone was one of pure appreciation, without any impurities.
A slight stirring occurred to Yu Chen's heart.
"Just do what you're good at," he said.
The dishes arrived: stir-fried shrimp, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, braised pork and bamboo shoots, and two bowls of rice.
The two ate and chatted, and the conversation gradually drifted from work.
Nie Xiguang talked about how busy the finance department had been lately, about a cost analysis report she was compiling, and about how Director Li was increasingly trusting her.
Yu Chen talked about his project plans for the next month, mentioning that he planned to rent a temporary place in Wuxi to make it easier to travel to and from the factory.
"You're going to stay in Suzhou long-term?" Nie Xiguang asked, somewhat surprised.
"At least this month." Yu Chen picked up a piece of fish. "The project requires frequent on-site debugging, and going back and forth is too time-consuming."
"So... have you found a place to stay?"
"Not yet, I'll go see tomorrow."
Nie Xiguang's voice softened: "There are actually temporary dormitories near the factory for experts from other places. The conditions are acceptable, single rooms with private bathrooms. I... I can ask the administration department if we can apply..."
"No need to trouble yourself." Yu Chen shook his head gently but firmly. "I'm more free living outside, and I often have to stay up late to organize data, so staying in the dormitory might not be very convenient. I can manage on my own."
Nie Xiguang nodded and said "Oh," without insisting further. However, as she lowered her head to drink the soup, a faint hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, though she quickly concealed it.
Yu Chen noticed. He thought for a moment and added, "However, I'm really not familiar with Suzhou. I'll have to ask you, as a... semi-local expert, whether it's convenient to live in the Hudong and Shuanghu Square areas, whether the surroundings are quiet, and whether there are any pitfalls."
Nie Xiguang's eyes immediately lit up again, her disappointment instantly vanishing. She looked up, her expression brightening: "No problem! Although I don't know much about renting apartments, I can ask my classmates in Suzhou! They'll definitely know! I'll ask them for you when I get back tonight!"
She spoke earnestly, as if she had received some important mission. Her expression was rather endearing, and Yu Chen couldn't help but smile: "Okay, then thank you in advance, Consultant Nie."
"You're welcome!" Nie Xiguang smiled, her eyes crinkling.
The atmosphere relaxed again.
"By the way, Yu Chen..." she began softly, as if choosing her words carefully, "Did President Lin... did he say anything... anything special about me to you today?"
"Why do you ask that?" Yu Chen paused with his chopsticks and looked up at her.
Nie Xiguang bit her lower lip, her clear eyes filled with confusion and a little trouble: "It's just that I feel... he seems to pay special attention to me, not the kind of attention that's professional, but... it's something I can't quite put my finger on, a feeling that's a little distant and a little guarded."
"At the department meeting the day before yesterday, he specifically emphasized that finance staff should pay attention to information confidentiality and not discuss business with people outside the company casually, especially those 'seemingly accidental' contacts..."
Her voice trailed off, her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment and a touch of annoyance: "I felt like he was implying something, like he was referring to me. But I'm sure I've never met him before, let alone offended him. Why does he seem to have a problem with me?"
Yu Chen sighed inwardly as he looked at her confused expression.
That misunderstanding, like a thorn, was stuck in Lin Yusen's heart and also stood between them invisibly.
But he doesn't intend to say it now.
For now, it's best to maintain the status quo.
"Don't worry too much about it, maybe that's just his personality." Yu Chen chose the safest answer. "I heard that he used to work in the medical system before switching to the business world. Different professional backgrounds lead to different ways of doing things."
"Perhaps." Nie Xiguang accepted this explanation, but the doubt between his brows did not completely disappear.
After the meal, Nie Xiguang insisted on paying the bill. "I promised to treat everyone to celebrate!"
Her attitude was firm, so Yu Chen stopped arguing.
Stepping out of the restaurant, the autumn night felt even cooler.
There were fewer pedestrians on the street, and the streetlights cast their shadows, making them appear to grow longer and shorter.
They tacitly avoided heading towards the factory area and instead turned onto a quieter side road.
Osmanthus trees are planted along the roadside. Their flowering season is almost over, but you can still smell a trace of their sweet fragrance in the night breeze.
The two walked side by side without saying a word for a while.
The footsteps were clear in the quiet alley, some light and some heavy, yet strangely harmonious.
In the distance, the faint sounds of a television and children's laughter drifted by—the sounds of everyday life.
"Yu Chen." Nie Xiguang suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquil night.
"Um?"
"Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Yu Chen stared at her without amusement.
It was the first time he had ever seen a girl say thank you to a boy so many times.
"A lot." She stopped and turned to look at him. "Thank you for giving me direction when I was most confused. Thank you for showing me another possibility."
Her eyes were exceptionally clear in the night, reflecting the light of the streetlights and his shadow.
Yu Chen's heart trembled slightly.
"Xi Guang, you deserve all of this."
Nie Xiguang paused for a moment, then a faint blush rose to her cheeks.
She didn't speak, but simply pursed her lips and started walking again.
But her steps were noticeably lighter.
When he dropped her off at the dormitory building, Nie Xiguang turned around and said, "Then you can go look at apartments tomorrow. If you need me to come with you, just call me anytime."
"Okay." Yu Chen nodded. "Get some rest."
"The same to you."
She waved and walked into the building.
Yu Chen stood downstairs. The night breeze was slightly cool, blowing on his face, but it couldn't dispel the warm flutter in his heart.
He knew that something was quietly changing, and he also knew that more challenges awaited him on the road ahead.
But at this moment, all he wanted to remember was this night.
Remember her clear eyes under the streetlights, remember the long-lost, genuine warmth in my heart.
enough.
Yu Chen raised his head and looked up at the night sky.
The stars were sparse, but one or two were exceptionally bright.
He took a deep breath and walked firmly towards the outside of the factory area.
Tomorrow will be another new day.