Chapter 52 Skilled at Making Empty Promises

Zhang Ziqiang's face scrunched up into a knot. "But whenever I look at a book, I just want to fall asleep."

Cheng Shi said, "So your dedication was just all talk. You are going to be my future sales director, and you're scared of a little thing like this?"

Zhang Ziqiang instantly felt his blood boiling. "Damn, 'sales director' sounds like a huge official title. Is it even bigger than a general manager?"

Cheng Shi replied, "Yes, big. Very big."

Drawing grand blueprints is my specialty.

Anyway, as long as it gets you working hard, I can paint any blueprint you want, guaranteed to last you a lifetime and then some.

---

Qian Xiaoying took the initiative to invite Liu Jie to the park.

Liu Jie actually felt that holding hands and wrapping arms around waists were far too childish, not worth wasting his time to accompany Qian Xiaoying.

However, he also knew that Qian Xiaoying was different from those women who sold their bodies for cash; he couldn't use force. It required some effort and time to coax her into bed.

Moreover, Qian Xiaoying showered Liu Jie with extreme tenderness, alternating between "Liu Jie, you're so amazing" and "Wow, you're so handsome," helping to restore the dignity Liu Jie had lost so heavily of late.

Today, as they rowed out onto the center of the lake, Qian Xiaoying wore a gloomy expression.

Liu Jie knew that when a woman is vulnerable is precisely the easiest time to get her into bed. Feigning concern, he asked, "Oh, what's wrong? Tell me what's bothering you."

Qian Xiaoying sobbed and said, "Sigh, Cheng Shi took away the best lathe. The workshop director only knows how to bully me, forcing me to produce parts. Without that lathe, I really can't make them. The director criticizes me every day and even says he wants to fire me. I really can't take it anymore."

Liu Jie had a sudden epiphany and sneered inwardly: *Heh, we haven't even gone to bed yet, and you already want me to do favors for you.*

*Do you think I'm as stupid as Cheng Shi?*

Liu Jie frowned. "This... is a bit hard to handle. I shouldn't be interfering in workshop matters."

Qian Xiaoying acted spoiled. "Oh, just say a word to Director Liu and have me transferred to another workshop. Such a simple thing."

Liu Jie answered vaguely, "Hmm."

Qian Xiaoying said, "I am sincere about you. As long as you are willing to help me, I will do whatever you want."

*Heh, with those words, everything becomes much easier.*

*I don't need to put up an act anymore.*

A stir arose in Liu Jie's heart, and his hand reached toward her chest. "I'm not like those country bumpkining fools. I only care about practical things."

Qian Xiaoying felt her hair stand on end. She instantly stood up and glared at Liu Jie. "Why are you getting hands-on?!?"

---

Although she had previously thrown herself at Cheng Shi and other men, it had always been limited to kissing and hugging; no one had ever directly gotten hands-on.

After all, everyone there consisted of honest, hardworking technical laborers.

The boat rocked violently.

Liu Jie demanded, "Didn't you say I could have you do whatever I wanted? Why such a huge reaction just from a touch? What kind of pure maiden are you pretending to be here?!!"

Normally, he looked refined and cultured.

Qian Xiaoying never expected him to be such a vile person.

This time, she had truly met her match.

She bit her lip and clenched her fists.

Liu Jie said, "We're all fellow workers, so I won't force you. Think it over carefully before you come looking for me again."

A cat doesn't eat a mouse immediately after catching it because the process of toying with it is far more thrilling and amusing.

Right now, they were stranded in the middle of nowhere, and Qian Xiaoying was terrified that Liu Jie might do something else to her. Desperate just to escape, she forced a smile onto her face and said, "Okay."

Once ashore, she used the excuse of visiting a nearby friend to hurry away alone.

Sitting on the bus back, the more she thought about it, the more terrified and regretful she became.

Cheng Shi had poured his heart and soul out for her, doing so much for her, yet he remained respectful and proper, never once crossing the line.

Furthermore, among the several men she had kept stringing along with ambiguous affection, Cheng Shi was the one who had helped her the most.

Yet she had played Cheng Shi in the palm of her hand, often mocking his sincerity and genuine feelings behind his back.

But now that Cheng Shi had explicitly rejected her multiple times, that path was definitely a dead end.

Was she really going to sacrifice herself to Liu Jie just to keep this job?!!

The mere thought filled her with disgust, as if she were offering herself up to the jaws of a wolf.

---

By this time, Cheng Shi had already arrived at High-Tech Precision Instruments Company.

Lu Zaixue had hired a professional today to solve the problem.

The technical director was a high-achieving Ivy League graduate whom Lu Zaixue had brought with her from Hong Kong.

Upon seeing Cheng Shi's youthful appearance, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly: *Heh, this "talent" probably didn't win Lu Zaixue's respect through professional skill, but rather kept her lingering through some other kind of "skill."*

---

Cheng Shi looked at their digital display vernier caliper and said, "The precision of your high-precision rack isn't up to standard, which is why your measurements are inaccurate. The working principle of a digital vernier caliper is that when the measuring jaws of the caliper are displaced, the movement of the rack drives a circular grating disc to rotate, thereby generating photoelectric pulse signals and converting the displacement into digital signals to be displayed on the digital screen."

The technical director said with sarcastic condescension, "Just by taking one look, you can tell the high-precision rack's accuracy isn't up to par? Your eyes must be sharper than a microscope."

Cheng Shi didn't mind his skepticism in the slightest and replied, "I frequently machine these parts, so my fingers are much more sensitive to part textures than an ordinary person's. A simple touch along the edge of this gear reveals that it fails to meet the flatness requirements. The precision definitely isn't there."

This gear was supplied by a Hong Kong merchant. Previously, the factory Lu Zaixue and her team ran in Hong Kong had always relied on him for supplies, and the quality had consistently been good.

Therefore, Lu Zaixue and her team had never once suspected that the gear's precision was the problem.

Lu Zaixue immediately had someone take the gear for testing. Sure enough, under the microscope, chips and notches could be seen on the gear's tips, and the edge flatness failed to meet the required specifications.

Lu Zaixue said, "Thank you so much."

Cheng Shi stated, "The substandard precision might not be caused solely by this gear. You need to carefully inspect the quality of all the accessories, like the circular grating discs."

Lu Zaixue nodded. "Understood. Now that the gear issue is resolved, let's inspect all the other components as well."

In truth, the reason precision instrument products from Western countries are advanced, aside from developed technology, is largely because the quality of every single accessory is rock-solid.

Lu Zaixue invited Cheng Shi into her office. "How should I reward you?"

Cheng Shi answered, "Once your product development is successful, just supply it to me free of charge for my use."

Lu Zaixue was slightly stunned, unable to believe it. "Just like that?"

Cheng Shi had previously sneered at a hundred-thousand-annual-salary offer; now that he had solved a technical problem, she had expected him to demand an exorbitant price.

The crucial part was that she wouldn't dare refuse, because she might frequently need Cheng Shi's help in the future.

Even though it was just a glance, technology is merely a thin layer of window paper. Whether someone pierces it or not depends entirely on their conscience.

Cheng Shi could easily have feigned mystery just now and then supplied them with overpriced parts to endlessly rake in money.

Cheng Shi nodded slightly. "Just like that. It's a minor matter, don't give it a second thought. I will always lend a helping hand to fellow industry peers who are dedicated to advancing their own independently researched product technologies."

Lu Zaixue felt a touch of emotion. "Mr. Cheng's magnanimity truly commands my admiration."