"Today I lost 500 yuan gambling—you useless director, get it straightened out right now!" Wang Mazi, standing tall with three people present, boomed with confidence. Although Liu was honest and far from easily intimidated, he spat fiercely, blew out a puff of air, and firmly declared he wouldn't back down. Yet, the three others, like wild dogs in a frenzy, charged at the lone Liu. Liu's real name was Liu Ming; his clothes were soon torn to shreds. Zhang San snatched the last 20 yuan still in Liu's pocket and tossed it to the ground, exclaiming, "For goodness' sake, that's hardly enough for three of us!" Li Si held Liu's collar in one hand and a wooden stick in the other, pressing him with unwavering intensity, shouting, "If you don't hand over 500 yuan, I'll split your head open!" Wang Mazi, meanwhile, slapped Liu's face and commanded, "You better hand it over right now—otherwise, I'll take out your pork feet!" "说完，Wang Mazi picked up a piece of fire brick from the ground and swung it at Liu Ming's heel. Liu Ming closed his eyes in despair. But a second later, a sound like someone being slaughtered came from him: "Ooh! Ooh! My goodness!" Liu Ming opened his eyes to see what had happened. To his surprise, it was Wang Mazi who had made the sound—his face now twitched with even greater distress, looking as if his face had been strained like a sieve. Looking down at the ground, he saw that the fire brick had struck his foot hard, causing blood to gush out and a large swelling forming on the back of his foot. Who had done this? Had he himself injured his foot? That seemed unlikely. Liu Ming glanced around and noticed a young, handsome man standing before him. No need to ask—this man was our protagonist, Gao Liang. Zhang San and Li Si, seeing Wang Mazi taken by surprise, immediately grew furious and launched a left hook and a right kick at Gao Liang. But Gao Liang merely dodged slightly, and the two missed their strikes entirely. Zhang San and Li Si were furious, and Wang Mazi went berserk, ignoring the pain. The three of them formed a tight encirclement, each drawing out their weapons—daggers, short iron poles, and iron chains—and launched a fierce assault on Gao Liang. "Watch out! These are people we simply can't afford to upset at the factory!" Li Ming kindly advised. Gao Liang gave a broad, cheerful smile and said, "Come on! Come on! Give me a try—see how far my reach goes!" As soon as he spoke, the weapons in Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Mazi's hands seemed to be clamped firmly between the jaws of a pair of pliers—no matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't free them. Even with their combined strength, the effort proved futile. This had never happened before, and Li Ming silently nodded in approval. What a relief! It was the first time he'd seen these three unruly troublemakers subdued. Soon, Gao Liang's fingers crushed the daggers, bent the short iron poles, and distorted the iron chains, leaving Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Mazi so terrified they had to pee. At that moment, many people gathered around—female employees from the National Cotton Mill. A middle-aged woman seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful kick directly to Wang Mazi's groin. Wang Mazi writhed in pain, his eyes rolling back. The woman exclaimed, "You're a lusty wolf! You've been secretly watching female workers bathe every day—don't think I don't know!" At the same time, another young female worker slapped Zhang San squarely on the face, making a crisp sound. Zhang San's face swelled instantly, forming a bump the size of a glass bead. The young woman, furious, said, "You're a rogue among us! You've secretly poisoned our meals in the canteen, then slipped into our dorm rooms while we were unconscious. Fortunately, I didn't fall ill and reported the incident—only for you to vanish when the police arrived! This time, I'm going to make good on my complaint!" With a sharp slap, she added, "Now, look at Zhang San's face—this one's even more forceful! His mouth is now crooked, and two of his teeth have fallen out. He's trembling with pain!" "Quick! Look at Li Si's phone clipped to "Someone must have said it out loud, and immediately a person stepped forward to deliver a punch to Li Si's abdomen. The pain sent Li Si clutching his stomach, struggling on the ground for a long time. 'You thief! I'll see you steal even more! Steal more! All the valuable items in the factory have been stolen by you three!' Li Si's head was now being pounded like a walnut, the pain forcing him to clutch his head as well—his hands, however, were soon severely beaten. The three miscreants were thoroughly punished, a truly satisfying resolution. They cried out in agony, pleading for mercy, over and over again, until they were finally silenced. Even after they had repeated their pleas a thousand and a thousand times, they still bowed their heads in submission, only then did the crowd let go. At this moment, someone from among the workers changed the subject: 'Director Liu! It's time to pay our wages!' This was already quite polite. But then someone else shouted, 'He's the factory representative—we need to find him now and demand our money! We can't let him leave!' 'Our factory has sold off its assets today and no one has shown interest. No, I want my salary! A male employee shouted loudly. Liu Ming was speaking kindly to everyone, but the crowd had pressed in—no, they were now angry and frenzied. "Slow down! Don't rush!" Gao Liang stepped forward at this moment. "One million!" one of the accountants who had been欠 salary exclaimed. "Excellent! I can arrange that for you!" With the crowd's delight, Gao Liang shifted the topic: "But the payment will arrive only seven days from now. During those seven days, I'd like to ask you all to do one thing!" "What is it? Please say it quickly!" As soon as the workers heard there was hope for their salaries, they immediately asked. Liu Ming was puzzled—how could this unassuming, handsome young man suddenly secure such a large sum to resolve the crisis? Indeed, they had found a true savior. Gao Liang clearly stated his request, and the workers burst out laughing, all exclaiming together, "How difficult can it be? We'll simply do it!" "Having said that, they happily and in small groups departed. Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Ma Zi fled in panic, while Liu Ming was deeply moved, tears streaming down his face, and said to Gao Liang: "I'm bowing down to you on behalf of our factory! You've given us the hope for its revival!" Gao Liang smiled calmly and replied: "It's far from enough for me to rely solely on my personal efforts. You must start now, assemble a capable team, and eliminate all underperforming personnel. I need a young, dynamic team that is willing to fight and commit—at the very least, one that is diligent and dedicated!" "Agreed! We share the same vision. Together, we will work tirelessly to revitalize the National Cotton Mill!" With Gao Liang's encouragement, Liu Ming felt his confidence surge. "I've acquired the factory! Considering your familiarity with it and your strong business acumen, I'm appointing you as General Manager from this point forward!" The gesture of Gao Liang's offer delighted Liu Ming so much that he couldn't stop smiling and exclaimed: "Yes! Yes!" Mr. Gao, I'll definitely do my best! I'll surely lead the team to bring our factory back to its former brilliance!