Zhou Quanxiang, pretending to be resolute as Comrade Deng was leaving, said, "Please rest assured, I will definitely bring this enterprise back to life!" After Comrade Deng had walked away with a satisfied smile, Zhou turned his eyes full of resentment toward Gao Liang, watching the steady stream of orders pouring in like snowflakes, the young employees of Guocan Factory busily handling phone calls, and felt deeply unsettled. Damn you, Gao Liang—don't think you're any better off! I'll make sure you can't produce anything! Hah! Right after the grand opening ceremony of the new plant concluded, Gao Liang made a significant decision: he paid the three-month salary that had been owed to the factory staff, and also distributed additional supplies such as cooking oil and rice—though these were minor details, they went a long way in winning public goodwill. Chen Yuting became Gao Liang's finance minister and immediately became busy with her duties, Zhang Yuping took on the role of personal secretary and assistant, and there was also Liu Ming handling management responsibilities. Four people worked collaboratively, on-site, attentively listening to the concerns raised by employees, embodying the principle that "by hearing diverse perspectives, one gains clarity; by relying on a single viewpoint, one risks bias." This approach of closely engaging with frontline workers was truly inspiring. Immediately, a new core leadership team was established at the State Cotton No.1 Factory, winning the heartfelt support of the people. That night, the four convened in the factory's production preparation room. Zhang Yuping, Chen Yuting, and Liu Ming all looked weary and sighed, as they realized that producing quality products within just seven days was no easy task. Yet Gao Liang remained confident—he arranged for Liu Ming to dispatch workers, including many new recruits, to clear out the outdated machinery. Within three days, a batch of new equipment would arrive. Liu Ming naturally carried out the plan and promptly departed to issue the instructions. The small meeting room was left with only Gao Liang and his two capable wives. Chen Yuting was quite unhappy, as she currently needed funds badly and was running very tight on cash. Just this morning, paying salaries and sending out rice and oil supplies had consumed 1.2 million yuan. Now, aside from the deposits from customers, her total funds amounted to only about 1.05 million yuan. What could 1.05 million yuan possibly cover? Zhang Yупing’s brows were also tightly furrowed. Even a skilled housewife finds it hard to cook when there’s no rice—now she faced numerous challenges, yet lacked funds, technology, and talent. How could they possibly produce satisfactory products? “Let’s borrow! Let’s go find our classmates and borrow money!” Gao Liang’s words were firm and decisive. “Yuting! Go borrow 1 million yuan from Dong Jiao for me—say it’s on behalf of me!” Gao Liang’s words made Chen Yuting’s head bob back and forth like a lighthouse. “Yuping! Let’s go borrow from Zhou Chao!” Upon hearing this, Zhang Yупing immediately shook her head, saying, “You’re crazy—how can we possibly borrow from him?” Yet Gao Liang smiled warmly and said, The next day, Chen Yuting pouted and simply wouldn't go to Dong Jiao to borrow money. She remembered the last time she had applied for a job at a beauty salon—she had been publicly humiliated by Dong Jiao. Yet, Gao Qiang firmly pulled her along and said, "Go! Just say it was I, Gao Qiang, who asked her to lend you money—she'll agree!" After saying that, he gently brushed her nose and coaxed, "Don't let Zhang Yaping see you like this! Right now, you're a distinguished Financial Minister—my very own rice bowl is at stake! I'll surely reward you handsomely once this is settled. How about that?" Thinking that Gao Qiang was speaking to her like a husband and wife for the first time, Chen Yuting immediately nodded and softly murmured, "All you call each other husband and wife, but I'm nothing at all!" Gao Qiang immediately kissed her and said, "You're my chief lady-in-waiting! I can't do without you either. You both mean a great deal to me!" This sentence comforted Chen Yuting deeply. Indeed, as long as something is highlighted, it becomes her own responsibility—she doesn't expect much, only that she can contribute a little to support the highlighted matters. With a joyful heart, she left. In fact, Zhang Yeping had clearly heard every word of the conversation between Gao Liang and Chen Yuting from outside the door. The head of the household—so truly the head of the household—then what was she? Everyone was important, but who was the most important? Naturally, she felt a bit unsettled. She thus hesitated to leave, yet behind her, a pair of strong hands gently embraced her. A soft voice whispered in her ear, "My dear! Now isn't the time to feel jealous! Hurry! If I'm not mistaken, Zhou Chao has just returned from Kyoto and is on his way home now!" With that, she took her wife's hand and stepped into the taxi, heading toward Zhou Chao's home, Mingyue Mountain Villa, in Hanhai City. Mingyue Mountain Villa. Zhou Chao had just returned home, weary from his journey, when Hao Liang and Zhang Yuping arrived unexpectedly—right on time—leaving Zhou utterly astonished. After all, they were his fiercest rival and his most persistent romantic competitor. "Hao Liang! You're here! We haven't settled our accounts yet!" Zhou said, his tone sharp and charged with irritation. Zhang Yuping interjected: "Zhou Chao, we're not here to be difficult. We need a sum of money right now. We'd like to borrow it from you." "Really? Ask me for a loan? Who else would I go to?" Zhou naturally refused. "Zhou Chao," Hao Liang said, "if I'm not mistaken, you were the mastermind behind the case of a female student's sexual assault at Hanhai No. 1 High School last year!" As he spoke, he pulled out a DVD from his bag. Zhou took it and immediately began playing it in the living room. Sweat beaded on his forehead. By the time he realized what was happening, he was furious—so furious that he pulled the disc out, broke it in half, and Gao Liang smiled with a mysterious air, while Zhang Yупing angrily pointed at Zhou Chao, shouting, "My classmate Song Xiaoling was brutally raped by you! Fortunately, the rather clumsy Yang captured the entire incident on camera—what a heartless, faceless man you are!" Zhou Chao quickly lost his balance, pleading, "Song Xiaoling—I even paid her! I settled it privately with her! You didn't have a say in it!" As soon as he finished speaking, a frail woman with disheveled hair and worn-out clothes appeared, pointing directly at Zhou Chao and saying, "Who settled it with you? It was all your one-sided effort! Since you wronged me, I've been fighting for justice ever since. I've visited every office of the Hanzhai City Procuratorate and the People's Court—yet everything has gone unheard. This time, I'm going to fight for justice myself!" "Then go file another complaint! Better yet, go straight to my father!" Zhou Chao spoke with great confidence, knowing that in Hanzhai City, his father, Zhou Quanxiong, held absolute power. "Wrong! We're filing a complaint directly to the higher levels!" G "Hehehe! Go ahead and file a complaint! I don't care either!" Zhou Chao accepted the business card thrown at him by Gao Liang with utter indifference. But at that moment, someone snatched his card and began to read it, his face instantly pale—after all, it bore the distinguished name of Comrade Deng. He immediately looked as if he had seen a ghost, saying, "Gao Liang, why on earth should we do this? Why on earth should we do this?" Clearly, Zhou Quanxiong, Zhou Chao's father, had been gripping his nose, eyes wide with astonishment.