Chapter 469 - 469: Coming (2)
“Indeed, I have to say the skewers in Fengtian are really delicious,” Zhou Chao said as he picked his teeth with a toothpick.
Lin Wu, full of anticipation, suggested, “Boss, how about we try another place tomorrow?”
“Well be going to Fuxing tomorrow. We can decide once we’re there. It’s getting late now; we still need to go back to the hotel. Let’s go!”
Upon hearing this, Lin Wu quickly went to settle the bill with the lady from the barbecue restaurant.
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, they flagged down a taxi by the roadside.
“Hilton Hotel.”
By the time Zhou Chao and Lin Wu reached the hotel, it was already half past ten in the evening. Since they were staying only for one night, Zhou Chao didn’t take out his exclusive card. Instead, he asked Lin Wu to book two standard rooms. After all, they had an early visit to Fuxing planned for the next day, and Zhou Chao didn’t want to add more tasks for himself.
Early the next morning, Zhou Chao and Lin Wu checked out of their rooms. They found a car rental agency near the hotel and rented a BMW. Zhou Chao planned to conduct a surprise inspection of the Fuxing Steel Plant, so he hadn’t arranged for Li Wei and the others to pick them up.
They drove leisurely along the way, and by the time they arrived at Fuxing, it was almost eleven o’clock. When they saw the completely transformed Fuxing Steel Plant, Zhou Chao couldn’t believe his eyes.
Standing on a small hill near the steel mill, looking at the steel mill, which was several times larger than before, it was clear that Ye Zhengfeng didn’t deceive him, and Li Wei had been moving too quickly.
“Give Xiao Wu a call,” Zhou Chao said as he looked out at the vast steel mill. “Tell him to come out quietly and find a place. It’s almost lunchtime.”
Lin Wu nodded without asking why and took out his phone to call Lin Wu.
The call was quickly answered.
“Hey, Brother Wu!”
“Xiao Wu, are you busy now? Is it convenient to talk?”
“Not busy at all. I was just about to have lunch. I’m in my office right now. Is there something you need?”
“We’ve arrived at Fuxing. We’re outside the steel plant. Find a quiet place and well come to meet you.”
Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Brother Wu, do I need to inform Director Li and the others?”
“No need. Just you alone. Once you find a place, send me the location.”
“Got it!” Although Xiao Wu wasn’t particularly bright, he quickly figured out what was going on. He picked up his car keys and left the office in a hurry.
As the nominal third-ranking figure in the Fuxing Steel Plant, many people greeted Xiao Wu politely as soon as he left the office. However, Xiao Wu only nodded politely and quickly made his way to the parking lot. He soon drove away in a white SUV, leaving the steel plant behind.
“Boss, Xiao Wu sent a message. He’s at the Hilton Hotel in Fuxing City.”
“Hilton Hotel? 1 didn’t expect it to open for business so quickly.” Zhou Chao was also a bit surprised, but it was within his expectations. After all, it had been a long time, and if even the hotel wasn’t operational, Guan Yue, the regional manager, might as well go home to take care of her child.
“Let’s go. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Xiao Wu. 1 wonder how he’s been.” Zhou Chao said and got into the car. Lin Wu, seeing this, quickly started the car and drove towards the city center.
“VIP666, this is the private room.”
Zhou Chao took a quick look and pushed the door open, walking in to find Xiao Wu sipping tea.
Seeing the door open, Xiao Wu quickly stood up and joyfully exclaimed, “Boss, Brother Wu!”
“Well, it looks like you’ve grown quite a bit,” Zhou Chao teased as he saw that Xiao Wu had put on some weight since they last met.
“Hehe, it’s all thanks to the great food at the steel plant. Fortunately, I exercise regularly; otherwise, I’d be a lump by now.”
Lin Wu circled around Xiao Wu, making clicking sounds with his mouth, which made Xiao Wu scratch his head in embarrassment.
“Alright, if you keep staring, Xiao Wu will embarrassed,” seeing Lin Wu’s antics, Zhou Chao had to intervene.
Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Lin Wu stopped in his tracks and sat down in a chair, relieving Xiao Wu.
“Have a seat; don’t stand.”
Xiao Wu quickly sat down beside Lin Wu.
“Boss, why did you suddenly come over? You didn’t even give me a heads-up so I could prepare.”
“I came for a surprise inspection this time. If 1 had called you guys, it wouldn’t be a surprise inspection.”
“All!” Xiao Wu was momentarily speechless.
“Let’s talk about the steel plant. What’s the current situation?”
Upon hearing Zhou Chao’s question, Xiao Wu organized his thoughts and began explaining the development of the steel plant in detail.
After nearly twenty minutes, Xiao Wu finally finished speaking. He picked up a cup of tea and took three sips in a row, relieving his parched throat.
Zhou Chao tapped his fingers on the table. After listening to Xiao Wu, he realized that the driving force behind the scenes was none other than his father-in-law, Jiang Youdao. The steel plant’s growth was thanks to a constant influx of orders and mineral resources. However, Zhou Chao quickly understood that it was primarily due to the high applicability of the special steel produced by his steel plant. That was why his father-in-law strongly supported it, leading to such rapid development. After all, demand drives productivity.
Nevertheless, Zhou Chao also acknowledged Li Wei’s capabilities. Despite the pressure from other steel conglomerates, he managed to carve out a path. Such ability was truly commendable.
“Dong dong dong!” Just as Zhou Chao was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door of the private room.
Zhou Chao glanced at Lin Wu, gesturing for him to open the door.
The door swung open, revealing a young female server holding a menu.
“Hello, may I take your order now?”
Lin Wu turned to Xiao Wu, who was sitting down, and asked, “Have you decided on your order?”
Xiao Wu awkwardly smiled and said, “1 forgot.”
Lin Wu gave him an exasperated look, then stepped aside to let the server enter.
The server glanced at everyone and tactfully walked over to Zhou Chao, spreading the menu in front of him, saying, “Sir, here is our menu. Please have a look.”
Zhou Chao gave the female server a meaningful look, then picked up the menu and started perusing it. After a while, he ordered several signature dishes and some northeastern specialties, such as pork stew with vermicelli.
When the server left with the menu, Lin Wu and Xiao Wu began chatting and sharing some of their anecdotes.
In less than half an hour, the server returned with three food carts, presenting a variety of delicious dishes that delighted Lin Wu and Xiao Wu.
Lin Wu and Xiao Wu eagerly picked up their chopsticks and stared at Zhou Chao.
“Go ahead, don’t just stare at me,” Zhou Chao said and began eating.
“Honestly, this food is really generous in portion, especially considering we’re in the northeast. It’s almost as much as two servings in some places in the south,” Lin Wu remarked, feeling a bit amazed.
The result was a silent agreement, as Zhou Chao continued eating quietly, and Xiao Wu, seeing that his boss wasn’t talking, hesitated to continue the conversation.
Lin Wu followed suit and focused on his meal.
After finishing their meal, Zhou Chao and the other two left the hotel without lingering, heading straight for the steel plant.
“Boss, should we go to Direvtor Li’s office first or take a tour?” Xiao Wu asked, tilting his head.
Zhou Chao remained silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s take a tour first. I want to see the actual situation of the steel plant, and then we can visit Li Wei.”
Xiao Wu nodded, and they soon arrived at the entrance of the Fuxing Steel Plant. Without stopping, they drove in.
“Boss, this is D Block, and here is C Block. These are the newly expanded areas mainly for producing special steel. The E and F Blocks are used for producing regular steel. The company’s research institute is also in F Block. As for A and B Blocks, they are the original old factory areas, which you are familiar with,” Xiao Wu introduced the situation of the steel plant as they entered the plant area, driving slowly to give Zhou Chao an overview of the facility.
“Yes, not bad, and they’ve maintained good hygiene too. Let’s go, and see what our Director Li is up to in the office!”
“Alright!” Xiao Wu gently accelerated, and the speed of the car increased..