That year the flowers bloomed 1981

Chapter 1388 A rising tide lifts all boats
Li Ye wanted Zhou Ziqing to be his assistant, but instead of going to Zhou Ziqing right away, he first went to Lu Zhizhang to discuss it.

After all, Zhou Ziqing's administrative coordination skills are outstanding, making her a "glue" among the management of the First Branch Factory. The harmonious atmosphere of the First Branch Factory is directly related to her. Now that she has been suddenly taken away by Li Ye, Lu Zhizhang, the factory director, will definitely need some time to adapt.

"Old Lu, I'm planning to make Zhou Ziqing my assistant. Who do you think should take over the personnel matters?"

Lu Zhizhang joked, "With your eye for talent, do you even need to ask me? You've already taken all the best ones. No one else can do as well as her!"

Li Ye pursed his lips, shook his head, and said, "You're wrong. The best person would be you, Lu Zhizhang, but you're too senior. I really can't let you be my assistant!"

"No, no, no, I do, I do! Hahahaha~"

Lu Zhizhang laughed heartily, then said seriously, "As long as you have no problem, I'd be more than happy to, because you'll be ahead of me sooner or later anyway, so why would I be coy?"

Li Ye gently nudged Lu Zhizhang's shoulder and chuckled, "Get lost, don't belittle me! Hurry up and think of a good candidate. Our branch factory is a big company now, and not just anyone can take on Zhou Ziqing's responsibilities."

"A suitable candidate."

Lu Zhizhang thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't we ask Zhou Ziqing for her opinion first? What if the young people she mentors are particularly capable?"

Li Ye blinked, and said thoughtfully, "That's fine too, after all, he's my own son."

The No. 1 factory was built from scratch by Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang. Those young college graduates can be considered their loyal followers. If there are any who are truly capable of taking on important responsibilities, then it is not unreasonable to promote them exceptionally.

But when Li Ye and Lu Zhizhang called Zhou Ziqing over to ask for her opinion, she remained silent for a long time before asking a question.

"Two factory managers, do you really think I'm suitable?"

Lu Zhizhang and Li Ye were both surprised. Based on their understanding of Zhou Ziqing, she was not the kind of person who was always humble. She would not compete or fight when she should be modest, but she would definitely stand up for herself when she should.

Zhou Ziqing, a veteran in administration, couldn't possibly be unaware of what this promotion meant—it meant becoming the assistant to the vice president at the group headquarters.

Not only will she be promoted to a higher rank, but her future will be incredibly bright. Even if the group breaks up again, she will at least be promoted to the position of deputy director or even director of a branch factory when she is transferred back. Such an opportunity may only come a few times in a lifetime, so why would she hesitate?

So Lu Zhizhang asked with doubt, "Section Chief Zhou, is there something you're hesitant about? Your abilities are beyond question; both Director Li and I believe you are capable of the promotion."

Zhou Ziqing smiled slightly, and said with a hint of bitterness, "In terms of ability, I am certainly not modest, but I am afraid that in other aspects, I might cause some unnecessary trouble for Director Li."

Li Ye asked in surprise, "Causing me trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Zhou Ziqing sighed and said helplessly, "It was you, Director Li, who arranged my arrival at the branch factory. You also promoted me from the technical department to the personnel department. Now, you've been promoted three times in a row, Director Li. You're too young and too outstanding, which makes you easy to be envied. My situation is also a bit special."

Li Ye interrupted Zhou Ziqing and asked bluntly, "Whether I am envied or not is none of your business. Just tell me, what trouble can you cause me?"

Zhou Ziqing gave an awkward smile, clearly finding it difficult to answer.

At this moment, Lu Zhizhang, who was standing nearby, said, "In the past few days, there have been some baseless rumors again. I reckon it's just those jealous people spreading rumors because you've been promoted to vice president of the group."

Li Ye asked Lu Zhizhang in surprise, "The rumors started a few days ago, and I didn't even know?"

Lu Zhizhang said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Who would be so eager to tell you such messy things? You're at the height of your fame right now, they're afraid of you, who would dare to come and provoke you?"

"."

Li Ye stood there stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. Had he really come to this?

In the past, Li Ye was a "small fry," and people would point fingers at him without any restraint. But now, no one dares to say anything unpleasant to his face.

Just like emperors in ancient times, everyone would refrain from spreading any unpleasant rumors to him, for fear of incurring his wrath.

"wrong."

Li Ye suddenly said, "Then why were there no rumors earlier or later, but only now are rumors about me and Section Chief Zhou starting?"

Li Ye was, after all, a handsome, wealthy, and powerful young man of his age, nearly thirty.
If he were really involved in rumors with any woman, that woman would have to be at least a scourge to the country.

Zhou Ziqing might have met that standard ten years ago, but she's thirty-five or thirty-six now. In 1992, before cosmetic surgery, she could only be considered as still having some charm.

Given the specific timing, these rumors seem highly targeted and purposeful.

Lu Zhizhang shrugged and said helplessly, "That's why I haven't told you! Among all the people in our branch factory, Section Chief Zhou is indeed the most capable. What if I had told you beforehand?"

Lu Zhizhang didn't finish his sentence, but the implication was that he didn't want to hinder Zhou Ziqing's future.

In Lu Zhizhang's view, although Li Ye was an open-minded person, once he arrived at the group headquarters, it was obvious that there would be a fierce battle, and everyone would want to arm themselves to the teeth. Who would want to leave a weakness for themselves?

For state-owned enterprise cadres, conduct issues have always been a crucial point of attack.

Li Ye let out a sigh of frustration and asked Zhou Ziqing, "Forget about these rumors and my attitude. Just tell me clearly whether you want to be my assistant or not."

Zhou Ziqing slowly straightened up and said earnestly, "If you trust me, Factory Director, I am certainly willing to prove myself on a higher stage."

"That settles it then, you're the one."

Li Ye immediately made the decision and settled Zhou Ziqing's matter.

Although he knew that rumors could be dangerous, trust in a person was more important. As someone in a position of power, what he feared most and could not tolerate most was "betrayal by those close to him".

Before Zhou Ziqing came to the factory, she was in a quagmire, bearing the reputation of being "unable to lay eggs and forcing her husband to find a mistress," while she had to pretend to be nonchalant on the surface.

Now Zhou Ziqing has a son, a happy family, and a successful career, all because she followed Li Ye. From a personal emotional point of view, she has no reason to betray Li Ye.

Even if we take a step back, Zhou Ziqi's son and daughter, along with Lao Jie's family of four, all work at the No. 1 factory! Shouldn't they think twice before trying to betray us?

"Then I'll first wish Director Zhou a smooth promotion, hahaha~"

Seeing that Li Ye had made up his mind, Lu Zhizhang first congratulated Zhou Ziqing, and then said to Li Ye, "Li Ye, I have to correct what you just said. The most capable person in our branch factory is not me, but you. After you leave, your work cannot be taken on by one person alone."

Li Ye looked at Lu Zhizhang and smiled, "So you mean to promote two deputy factory directors?"

Lu Zhizhang said frankly, "People say that as the tide rises, so does the boat. Now that you've been promoted, everyone hopes to benefit from it. This is also the driving force for our unit's common progress, don't you think?"

(End of this chapter)