Chapter 10: Waiting for You to Call Me Big Brother

An elderly person with difficulty walking boarded the bus at this stop. Cheng Shi stood up to offer his seat, but a young man snatched it first.

Young men in this era liked to wear floral shirts and bell-bottom trousers, sporting permed, long hair. They thought they looked as stylish and handsome as Hong Kong or Taiwanese stars, unaware that fashion really depends on one's looks. For instance, the kid in front of him, with his greasy hair and sloppy posture, not only lacked any sense of style but actually looked quite sleazy in his garish outfit.

Cheng Shi stood tall, looking down at the kid with a mocking smile, and said silently, "Just try sitting there and see what happens."

The kid was over 1.7 meters tall and not exactly frail, but after sizing up Cheng Shi’s sturdy, 1.8-meter frame, he immediately lost his nerve and slunk off toward the back. As it turned out, the kid went and sat down next to Mo Xiaoxi.

Cheng Shi was pushed toward the middle of the bus by the incoming crowd. Mo Xiaoxi noticed Cheng Shi, but because they were too far apart, she didn't call out to him. The kid began trying to strike up a conversation with her. Mo Xiaoxi kept edging away, but the kid, wearing a cheeky grin, kept leaning closer. Mo Xiaoxi looked toward Cheng Shi with eyes full of fear and helplessness.

Cheng Shi pursed his lips. *We are neighbors, and I just received her kindness; I suppose I should do something,* he thought. He walked over and tilted his chin at the kid. "Get up. I want to sit there."

The kid’s face turned red instantly. "Why the hell do you always pick on me?!"

Cheng Shi squinted. "I’m picking on you. So what?"

Someone nearby stifled a laugh. The kid gritted his teeth, stood up, and sullenly moved to the front of the bus.

"Thank you," Mo Xiaoxi whispered.

"Don't mention it," Cheng Shi replied coolly.

When Mo Xiaoxi reached her stop and got off, the kid immediately followed. Cheng Shi hadn't reached his destination yet, but seeing this, he had no choice but to get off the bus and follow them. Mo Xiaoxi didn't know if she hadn't noticed someone behind her or if she was too afraid to look back, but she just kept her head down and walked forward.

Seeing Cheng Shi trailing him, the kid gave up after a while and wandered off. When Mo Xiaoxi arrived at the school gate and looked back, she only saw Cheng Shi’s retreating figure. She bit her lip and smiled: *Who said Cheng Shi is unsympathetic and bad-tempered? He is clearly very considerate and kind.*

Cheng Shi walked for another stop, bought a pack of cigarettes on the way, and finally arrived at the automobile factory. He took out the newspaper clipping and said to the guard, "I'm here for the recruitment."

Many people had come to apply in the last few days—technicians and skilled workers of all sorts—but they had all left dejectedly. Seeing that Cheng Shi looked like a student, the guard didn't take him seriously at all. With an impatient expression, he said, "Don't mess around, go play somewhere else."

Cheng Shi took the pack of cigarettes and a bearing out of his bag. "It’s fine if I don't go in. Please, just let the factory manager take a look at this. I’ll wait here for you. If it doesn't work, you can just take the bearing back and return it to me."

The guard, being an employee of the factory, recognized that the item in Cheng Shi’s hand was identical to the missing part, so he didn't dare be negligent. He pocketed the cigarettes and softened his tone. "The young man knows how to handle things. Wait here, I’ll go ask for you." He told a younger guard, "Watch him, don't let him wander off."

No sooner had the guard left than the kid from the bus came sauntering over. Upon seeing Cheng Shi, he stepped back twice. "Holy crap, how did you follow me all the way here?"

Only now did Cheng Shi see his face clearly. His nose bridge was slightly flat, his cheekbones were high, and his cheeks were sunken. He had the most ordinary Southern Chinese features; if he weren't dressed so garishly and had his hair cut short, he would be lost in a crowd. If he had any distinctive feature, it was those eyes that drooped slightly at the corners.

The young guard greeted him, "Comrade Zhang Ziqiang, you're here. This man is here to see the manager."

Cheng Shi pursed his lips. *Trouble,* he thought. *This slacker is actually the manager's son.*

Zhang Ziqiang pointed at Cheng Shi and laughed gleefully. "Good, good, good! I didn't expect you to fall into my hands so quickly. If you can see my dad today, I'll write my name backward. Do you dare tell me your name?"

Cheng Shi remained calm and tilted his chin. "Your elder here doesn't change his name or surname—it's Cheng Shi. When you're begging me to let you inside later, don't forget to call me 'brother.'"

Provoked, Zhang Ziqiang’s face flushed red. He pointed at Cheng Shi and shouted arrogantly, "Fine! You’d better not run away. Today, not only will I make sure you fail, but I’m going to teach you a lesson."

At that moment, the automobile factory manager, Zhang Guohua, was holding a meeting with the factory's technical backbone and leaders sent from the province and city. After all, the automobile factory was a major state-owned enterprise, and the country and province had invested a massive amount of foreign currency and manpower into its construction. It was regarded as the hope of China's automotive industry.

In the early days of the factory, they had indeed achieved a breakthrough from zero and produced several relatively advanced trucks and sedans. But in recent years, because engine technology had stagnated and equipment had aged, the factory had not only failed to keep pace with foreign peers but was being left further and further behind.

Recently, it had shut down production entirely due to a single machine tool. Seeing decades of hard work going down the drain, everyone from the top down was anxious.

A ministry official asked, "Manager Zhang, you’ve been shut down for so long. Have you come up with a feasible solution?"

Zhang Guohua already had a miserable-looking face, with the corners of his eyebrows, eyes, and mouth all drooping. If he wasn't smiling, it looked like he was crying. Now, he looked even more distressed.

"This CNC machine tool was imported from Germany," Zhang Guohua explained. "We asked the original manufacturer to send technicians to look at it. They said an integrated circuit board needs to be replaced, and they quoted eighty thousand dollars. It’s simply too expensive. Domestically, we cannot manufacture the kind of circuit board they require."

The ministry official said, "They are trying to keep us in a stranglehold. Perhaps the part doesn't need to be replaced at all. With so many technicians in the factory, is there not one who can fix it?" He scanned the room with a stern gaze.

All the technicians lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. The answer was obvious. Forget fixing it; they didn't even dare to take it apart. Every time foreign companies finished repairs, they would apply a seal. If the Chinese tampered with the seal, they would refuse to provide further service, regardless of the cost. The purpose was to prevent the Chinese from learning the technology and copying their products.

Since the foreigners wouldn't fix it and the locals weren't confident, opening it up would likely mean it would be broken for good. So, who would dare touch it?

The ministry official said with slight anger, "If no one in the factory can fix it, why not ask other factories for help? You need to be proactive and think of solutions."

Zhang Guohua replied, "We have, we have. We’ve already offered a high reward to society to seek help from technical experts. We hope there will be a response."

The ministry official shook his head. "Just posting a call for heroes and waiting isn't enough. You can ask sibling units for help or ask them to temporarily process parts for you. At least get the factory running again."