Chapter 80: A Shocking Revelation! Li Junsheng Exposes the Factory’s Predicament!

Li Junsheng caught a ride with the deputy factory director and arrived at the University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He entered the campus alone and spent several hours before finally gathering the information he wanted.

As dusk approached, Li Junsheng thought he should find a place to rest for the night, planning to buy a ticket home the next day when the sun was up.

On his way out of the campus, he happened to spot Zheng Rong and his group leaving the school. Judging by their gloomy faces, the outcome of the meeting had not been favorable, with Zheng Rong at the head, all looking deeply troubled.

Li Junsheng considered for a moment, then went over to greet them and ask what had happened.

"Director Zheng, is the meeting over? Why do you all look so downcast?"

The other leaders from the machinery factory ignored Li Junsheng, but Zheng Rong, seeing his concern, let out a heavy sigh.

From Zheng Rong’s expression, Li Junsheng could tell that, just like in his previous life, the meeting had produced disappointing results. The news that the factory’s poor performance would require large-scale layoffs would likely be announced as soon as Zheng Rong returned.

After sighing, Zheng Rong spoke to Li Junsheng in a weary tone, “There’s no point in hiding it anymore. I might as well tell you. Our factory’s not doing well, and orders from above are to cut staff.”

“We don’t even know how many workers will lose their livelihoods this time…”

What Zheng Rong feared most was that the laid-off workers would cause an uproar, making things unmanageable at the factory. How could he not worry?

Still, Li Junsheng seemed to have good fortune, resigning and transferring his job to someone else at such a critical moment. Otherwise, he’d be just as troubled as Zheng Rong now—without a job, how would he feed his family?

Hearing Zheng Rong’s words, Li Junsheng nodded and replied honestly, “That makes sense. Even before I resigned and transferred my position, I’d noticed the factory’s orders plummeting. For half the month, the workshop workers barely had anything to do.”

Mentioning the orders, Zheng Rong could only show his helplessness.

“As an employee, you were able to notice these things, which is quite impressive. It means your heart was in the right place. The reason our orders dropped is that another factory brought in advanced foreign technology and took all our business!”

“In truth, the factory should have started layoffs much earlier. I just wanted to struggle a bit longer, hoping to introduce some foreign technology, but we failed. With poor performance, even state support has been reduced.”

If layoffs didn’t happen soon, there wouldn’t even be enough funds left to pay wages.

Zheng Rong was already sixty; he’d dedicated himself to the factory for many years. Now, with everything falling apart, he looked even older and more worn.

The deputy factory director’s heart ached for the machinery factory and its future. Having worked there for nearly forty years, he considered it his home—how could he bear to see it decline?

Li Junsheng kept nodding. In his previous life, he’d never had the chance to interact with someone like Deputy Director Zheng and hadn’t known that the factory had tried to introduce foreign technology. Back then, he’d simply thought the layoffs were because of poor performance, never realizing how much had happened behind the scenes.

Li Junsheng looked thoughtful. As the saying goes, “If you fall behind, you will be bullied.” The machinery factory was now paying the price.

He recalled that in his previous life, not long after the layoffs, the factory went into a steep and terrible decline. It struggled on for several years but, unable to secure further support, eventually closed.

He hadn’t paid much attention to what happened to the factory afterward—by then, his job there was long gone, and he was too busy trying to support his family to care about anything else. He’d only heard from others that the factory closed, but never had confirmation.

Such a large factory, once so glorious and the source of many workers’ livelihoods, had vanished just like that—a truly lamentable end.

But then, it was hardly surprising.

Li Junsheng earnestly comforted Zheng Rong, “That’s the situation. There’s no need to be too disheartened, Director Zheng.”

Zheng Rong nodded, feeling heavy-hearted. He’d expected only a word of comfort from Li Junsheng, but instead, Li Junsheng began analyzing the situation with remarkable clarity.

“Director Zheng, you must know that advanced foreign technology is usually licensed exclusively. Now that another factory has secured the license, if we want to bring it in, the price will be exorbitant.”

“Not only will they demand a higher price from us, but the other factory might take the opportunity to demand compensation for breach of their exclusive license agreement. We’d probably end up having to pay their penalty fees as well.”

“So it’s not surprising that the attempt to introduce advanced technology failed. You’ve already done everything you could for the factory. I believe that, in light of the circumstances, everyone will understand the need for layoffs.”

Li Junsheng’s words were dignified and insightful, making him seem less like an ordinary worker and more like a leader with hidden depths.

Zheng Rong, along with the other factory leaders, looked at Li Junsheng afresh, sizing him up with newfound respect.

Who was this remarkable individual? He was familiar with Deputy Director Zheng, yet most of them had never seen him before.

Zheng Rong stared at Li Junsheng in astonishment, unable to believe what he was hearing. “You understand all this? To be honest, that’s exactly how things stand.”

“I just wanted to bring in advanced foreign technology, so our factory could catch up with the others. Then, orders would increase and layoffs wouldn’t be necessary. But I hadn’t thought it through—we couldn’t afford the doubled price, nor the penalty for breaching the exclusive license, so our proposal was rejected.”

It was truly remarkable—Li Junsheng had never attended any of his important meetings, yet he could lay out the problems in such detail. There was something truly extraordinary about him.

Li Junsheng smiled slightly at Zheng Rong. Winning Zheng Rong’s attention was exactly what he wanted.

This trip to the provincial capital, with the unexpected encounter with Deputy Director Zheng, had inspired a bold idea in Li Junsheng’s heart—he wanted to take this opportunity to do something big at the machinery factory.

So, he needed Zheng Rong to look at him in a new light.

If it worked out, the scrap business would remain steady, and he might find other ways to make money—a win-win situation.

Now that Zheng Rong had asked, Li Junsheng did not hold back. He said bluntly, “To be frank, Director Zheng, I’ve always liked to study these things. One must never stop learning—falling behind means getting left behind.”

“If you ask me, there’s no need to be so distressed, Director Zheng. In my opinion, the factory’s current predicament can be solved. There’s no need for the machinery factory to close down!”

At these words, Zheng Rong and all the junior leaders behind him were stunned.

Had they heard correctly?

Even the deputy director couldn’t solve the problem, yet this man dared to claim he could? Was it possible for a factory that had fallen behind and failed to bring in foreign technology not to close down?

Could such a thing really happen?