Fang Zhiyi said to the uncle, "Sorry, he made the offer first. If you need one, I can make a few more next time."
Hearing this, the man who had been pulling out money glanced at Fang Zhiyi. After the crowd dispersed, he didn’t leave but instead held onto a few hand-crank generators and extended an invitation: "Come on, let me treat you to a meal?"
Fang Zhiyi agreed without hesitation—he was broke, after all, and every penny saved counted.
During their conversation, Fang Zhiyi learned the man’s name: Yu Duoyu, a small-time trader by profession. He had originally come to the county town to sell goods but had taken an interest in Fang Zhiyi’s hand-crank generators after spotting them.
"To be honest, these things—if I take them to the provincial capital, I can sell them for at least forty each," Yu Duoyu said cheerfully.
Fang Zhiyi didn’t respond, simply sipping his soup.
Yu Duoyu felt awkward. "Aren’t you going to ask why?" He had expected Fang Zhiyi to express surprise, press for details, or even regret his pricing—anything but silence.
"I don’t have much to ask. You just want to collaborate, right? I produce, you sell?" Fang Zhiyi pointed at the factory logo on his chest. "You’ve probably figured out I’m from the electromechanical factory, so you assume I have the production capacity and credibility."
Yu Duoyu was taken aback, reassessing the young man before him.
By the end of the meal, the two had reached a preliminary agreement.
The earnings from selling the hand-crank generators—just a hundred yuan—were far from enough for Fang Zhiyi.
That evening, he invited a few people over: Engineer Liu and Engineer Wang from the workshop, Senior Li and Junior Li from the technical department, and Fu Chunmei from the sales team. Seated around the table, they were puzzled. Though Fang Zhiyi got along well with them, this was the first time he’d treated them to a meal at a state-run restaurant.
As plate after plate of hearty dishes and a bottle of local liquor were served, Senior Li couldn’t hold back: "Fang Zhiyi, what’s the occasion? Your birthday?"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "No, just eat up."
Fu Chunmei didn’t touch her chopsticks. As a salesperson, she’d seen her share of schemes. Half-jokingly, she said, "If you don’t explain, we can’t eat in good conscience. Once it’s down, it’s not coming back up."
Hearing this, Engineer Liu, who had already picked up his chopsticks, set them back down.
Fang Zhiyi sighed. "You’re all this wary of me?"
Under their collective gaze, he decided to lay his cards on the table. "Alright, I do have something to discuss with you. Of course, it’s up to you whether you want in." These five were people he’d carefully selected—reliable in both character and skill.
"I’ve got a side gig—making small gadgets. Nothing complicated, just assembly work. If you’re willing to help, we’ll pay per piece. What do you think?"
Silence fell over the table.
The factory’s workload was light, leaving workers with plenty of free time. With meager monthly wages, everyone was eager to earn extra. Senior Li and Junior Li were saving up for marriage, Engineer Liu and Engineer Wang needed money for their kids, and Fu Chunmei was particularly money-driven—all details Fang Zhiyi had subtly gathered.
"We’re in!" The Li brothers were the first to agree. "We thought it was something serious. A side hustle isn’t illegal."
Engineer Liu took a sip of liquor. "The factory doesn’t forbid side jobs anyway. They’re even encouraging economic flexibility these days."
Fu Chunmei still hesitated. "I don’t know the technical stuff."
Fang Zhiyi smiled. "No problem. Just promote our products during your sales rounds."
Fu Chunmei bit her lip. "What kind of products?"
Fang Zhiyi gestured for her to eat first. She downed her drink in one go.
After the meal, Fang Zhiyi led them to a secluded storage shed. Inside, the space was cluttered. After some rummaging, he pulled out the last remaining hand-crank generator. Night had fallen, and as he turned the crank, the bulb gradually lit up, illuminating their faces.
With manpower secured, Fang Zhiyi’s workload lightened. He only needed to provide improved blueprints. To avoid raising suspicions, he also bought up the factory’s discarded spare parts. By now, Lin Jianguo had been promoted to deputy director, with the former deputy transferred out. The old director was semi-retired, leaving Lin Jianguo effectively in charge.
The rented storage shed operated smoothly. The team worked assembly lines during evenings and weekends, tweaking imperfect parts on factory equipment during shifts.
Fu Chunmei spent her breaks canvassing nearby counties and cities, adopting what Fang Zhiyi called a "distributor" model—securing agents in private stores.
"Fang Zhiyi, be honest—do you still want to be a worker?" Lin Jianguo asked the distracted young man.
Fang Zhiyi snapped back to attention. "Huh? Of course."
Lin Jianguo frowned. "I’ve heard your side income surpasses your wages. How long before you quit?"
Fang Zhiyi met his gaze. "Lin Jianguo, what do you think the factory’s future holds?" Heard from whom? Probably Lin Xiaowei—that girl’s always tailing me.
Lin Jianguo looked puzzled. "What else? Grow stronger, serve the people."
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "Economically speaking, the current model is temporary. Sooner or later, the factory will struggle. You’re management—you know the books. How much is tied up in unpaid debts? Where does our revenue really come from? What happens when the market saturates? What about after reforms?"
Lin Jianguo froze, reassessing the young man before him. He was nothing like the person he’d first met. As for his claims… Lin Jianguo frowned. He had heard murmurs about reforms up north, but their validity was unclear.
"Don’t spout nonsense. Focus on your job."
Fang Zhiyi nodded. "Understood."
After Fang Zhiyi left, Lin Jianguo stared blankly at his notebook. He’d always charged ahead without looking back—until Fang Zhiyi’s words pierced through something unspoken.
Someone came looking for Fang Zhiyi, but it was an unexpected visitor: Second Son.
Glaring at his older brother—now clean, well-fed, and noticeably healthier—he said coldly, "Dad sent me to fetch you."
"Where’s Mom?" Fang Zhiyi glanced around.
"Mom didn’t come. Dad and Mom fought—badly." Second Son scrutinized his estranged brother, hostility lacing his tone.
"Oh? A fight? Why?" Fang Zhiyi was genuinely curious. He hadn’t even made his move yet.
"You have the nerve to ask?" Second Son’s eyes burned with anger.
ey change clothes. Li Chuan contributed all his possessions, only to find that things were not as they seemed. Almost a year after joining, he hadn’t managed to get a single Daoist consort. Thinking he had been deceived, he was approached by a stunning senior fellow disciple who asked if he would like to form a spiritual bond. For those who don’t practice cultivation, they might not know what “forming a spiritual bond” is. Let me put it this way: A long-term relationship is called a “Daoist consort,” while a short-term relationship is known as “forming a spiritual bond.” From then on, Li Chuan discovered the true way to interact with the Yin-Yang Sect’s Daoist consorts. As long as he had enough spirit stones, he could form a spiritual bond with anyone, Whether it’s Senior Sisters, aunts, Daoist consorts of aunts, female elders, Daoist consorts of elders, or even the Daoist consort of the sect leader, anyone can form a spiritual bond as long as there are enough spirit stones.” I've already joined the Yin-Yang Sect, and you're telling me to focus on cultivation? Do you even know what the Yin-Yang Sect is all about?
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
