With this one thousand yuan in hand, Li Junsheng felt that even if he lost his job at the factory, it wouldn't be difficult to pursue something else. He clearly remembered that soon, the machinery factory would be criticized for "optimizing production capacity." A large number of old lathes and copper coils were stacked in the warehouse, destined to be sold to private contractors at scrap metal prices!
Those rusty chunks could be melted down and recast, turning an easy tenfold profit!
According to the timeline, Section Chief Zhou from the factory should have already begun secretly managing the clearance and was likely struggling to find buyers for the goods!
So, he could use this money to buy the items at a low price from Section Chief Zhou and make a substantial profit!
With this in mind, Li Junsheng made his way to the machinery factory.
Now, he would keep his word and let Chen Zhiyuan take the job! He wanted this vile couple to feel satisfied for a time!
Did they really think that he, a seasoned technician who was now laid off, could be replaced by a young, inexperienced kid like Chen Zhiyuan?
Once Chen Zhiyuan got laid off, there would certainly be a show to watch!
Especially when he could never reclaim that one thousand yuan, how could Chen Dazhu continue to maintain his facade of being a kind and agreeable person to Ma Yulian?
Chen Dazhu was nothing more than a smiling tiger, kind on the surface but duplicitous behind closed doors.
He privately abused his wife, which led to their divorce, yet pretended to be pitiful in public to garner sympathy from others—leaving his wife at the mercy of insults from others.
In his previous life, the affair between Ma Yulian and Chen Dazhu only came to light when Li Junsheng was on his deathbed; they deliberately revealed it to provoke him and mentally torture him!
Chen Zhiyuan was no better—selfish and inept, he followed in his father's footsteps, lacking any real skills, unable to even find a wife!
They deserved everything that was coming to them!
Meanwhile, at Chen Dazhu's household.
Once Li Junsheng left, Chen Zhiyuan was filled with excitement, eagerly anticipating his job at the machinery factory.
"That's great, Dad! As soon as Li Junsheng finishes with the paperwork, I'll be a worker at the state-owned factory! No one will be able to look down on me anymore!"
Ma Yulian chimed in, smiling, "Of course! Young girls will be lining up to catch your eye!"
Compared to his son, Chen Dazhu was notably less enthusiastic. He had a nagging feeling that Li Junsheng was acting unusually today and was particularly difficult to deal with. He seemed to value Ma Yulian's opinions above all.
"Ugh, what's gotten into Li Junsheng today? Why was he so confrontational? Will that one thousand yuan ever come back to us?"
"That's the money for Zhiyuan's wedding! It's my lifelong savings—enough to buy a house!"
Ma Yulian patted Chen Dazhu on the chest confidently. "Oh, don't worry, Old Chen. I'm here! Tonight, I'll get that money back."
"There's going to be some cost to get Li Junsheng to help, but I'll make up the difference for Zhiyuan's wedding!"
Hearing this from Ma Yulian made Chen Dazhu finally feel at ease.
Nevertheless, he still found it odd. "I really don't know what got into Li Junsheng today. He seemed so irritable when talking to you."
In front of Chen Zhiyuan, Chen Dazhu embraced Ma Yulian gently, patting her back.
Ma Yulian enjoyed the affection, and Chen Zhiyuan was unbothered, accustomed to the display.
"Dad, Aunt Yulian, I think Li Junsheng was just emboldened by alcohol today. On a normal day, he wouldn't dare speak like that," Chen Zhiyuan added.
Ma Yulian and Chen Dazhu both agreed; people certainly acted differently when drunk.
Chen Dazhu didn't think much further.
Ma Yulian, looking at Chen Zhiyuan, laughed and remarked, "Well, regardless of anything else, at least it sounds like Li Junsheng is going to get the documentation from the factory. Zhiyuan, how great am I for getting you this job?"
Chen Zhiyuan nodded with a smile, his gaze shifting between Ma Yulian and Chen Dazhu.
With Ma Yulian mentioning their arrangement, Chen Dazhu felt compelled to respond.
"Yulian, you're just wonderful. You're worlds apart from that woman who divorced me and ran off with someone else."
"I regret not marrying you, it would have been great for us to be a happy family of three right now."
Ma Yulian had liked Chen Dazhu since they were young, but he had married someone else. In her frustration, she had chosen to marry Li Junsheng. Now, despite her own actions, she blamed Li Junsheng and his first wife.
"Why bring all that up? If it weren't for Zhiyuan's mother and Li Junsheng getting in the way, we probably would have been together long ago," Ma Yulian said, her eyes shooting glances at Chen Dazhu.
Chen Zhiyuan interjected, "You know, Aunt Yulian, why don't you just divorce Li Junsheng and marry my dad? You could be my mom, and I'll take care of you."
At this, Ma Yulian's face turned crimson.
Deep down, she eagerly wanted a divorce from Li Junsheng, but she played her cards close to her chest in front of them.
"Zhiyuan, what are you saying?" Ma Yulian exclaimed.
Chen Zhiyuan smiled back, "Aunt Yulian, I'm serious! You're in love with my dad, and he feels the same about you!"
Ma Yulian felt a flutter of happiness at this compliment.
With a coy look, she shared a moment of eye contact with Chen Dazhu.
"Old Chen, did you finish your meal? If you're done, why not take a walk outside? Talk to that young girl from before about your soon-to-be new job. Let's see if she still looks down on you," Chen Dazhu suggested with a grin.
Chen Zhiyuan straightened his back. He was eager to show off.
"Alright! I'll head out now!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Once he left, Chen Dazhu pulled Ma Yulian closer to his side and began to speak his heart.
...
At the same time, Li Junsheng had already arrived at the factory.
The cool breeze along the way had cleared his drunken haze as he entered the factory director's office to finalize the transfer of his job.
Next, he visited the personnel manager to obtain the necessary documentation.
The process went smoother than he'd expected.
After getting the proof completed, he prepared to leave the factory.
After working here for twenty years, returning felt surreal; it was as if he had traveled back in time, filled with mixed emotions.
While he was back at the factory, he was also about to leave it once again.
Deep down, he felt a sense of reluctance and nostalgia for the place.
But he wasn't lost about the future; he wasn't worried.
Having been reborn, he knew that he was entering a time filled with opportunity!
Even if he didn't sell his job, the position wouldn't last!
Why not take the plunge into business and explore a different path?
As he was walking out, several colleagues heard he was transferring his position and approached him, eager to ask about it.
"Old Li, you've always done well here. You're on the verge of retirement—why hand your job over now?"
Seeing familiar faces like Lao Yang and Lao Zhang, Li Junsheng sighed heavily, hesitant to divulge too much.
They were unaware of the imminent layoffs; many of them were of a similar age and had their names on the list.
Should he warn them? It would be nice if they could prepare in advance.
After considering it, Li Junsheng decided not to speak up.
"I'm just leaving it to someone else," he said curtly and turned to exit, his steps feeling heavier as he walked away.
Lao Yang and the others exchanged glances and couldn't help but speculate.
"Is there something else going on with Old Li? He mentioned before that he would stick around until retirement."
"I think something feels off too. Who's he giving his job to?"
"Could it be someone outside? If he's giving it to his kids, he wouldn't be acting like this."
"Shouldn't we find out? What if Old Li is in some kind of trouble?"
Li Junsheng ignored the murmurs behind him. Just as he reached the factory gate, he ran into a familiar acquaintance, who rushed over anxiously.
Seeing him, the person hurriedly said, "Old Li, it's bad! Hurry home and check things out! Something has happened at your house!"