Who would still be a social slave when they are so rich?

The next day, Park Pu-dong arrived at the Samheung Electronics Building on time as usual.

He tried to maintain a calm facade, attempting to ignore the huge difference between his previous position as the vice president with its expansive view from the top floor and his current position as the deputy director in the logistics department, which was cramped and noisy. He was still wearing a sharp suit, but walking in familiar surroundings felt completely different.

At first, there were only faint glances. When he walked by, the employees who were originally gathered together and talking in hushed tones would instantly look away, their eyes darting away. But the pity, curiosity, and even a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes felt like needles pricking his back.

When he took the elevator to the floor where the logistics department was located, the oppressive atmosphere became even more pronounced.

"Hey~ Isn't this our respected Vice President Park? Oh~ no, look at my memory, I should call him Vice Manager Park now." A sarcastic voice sounded from behind.

Park Pu-dong stopped and coldly glanced back at the middle-aged man who had spoken. He quickly realized that this man was another deputy director of the logistics department, surnamed Kim, someone he had always looked down on, a guy who had risen to power entirely through flattery and sycophancy, and someone he had scolded countless times in the past.

Park Bo-dong has now become the deputy director, which has to some extent squeezed this guy's already small power space. It can be said that there is both new and old grudges.

Park Pu-dong glanced at it briefly before turning back, paying no further attention, and continued walking towards his workstation.

Seeing this, the man surnamed Kim spat in the direction Park Pu-dong had left and muttered under his breath, "He really thinks he's the same Vice President Park he used to be. A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken. The show has only just begun!"

A sly glint flashed in his eyes. He took out his phone from his pocket, fiddled with it for a few moments, and then put it away, looking smug as he walked back to his workstation.

On the other side, after putting his things on his workstation, Park Pu-dong took his cup to the break room. Coincidentally, just as he was getting half of his coffee, several people from other departments walked in. They were the middle managers who used to treat him with utmost respect.

Park Pu-dong thought these people had come to comfort him, since he had taken good care of them in the past, and they were considered to be part of his faction.

But what happened next made him lose his composure.

"Tsk tsk tsk, life is truly unpredictable, Mr. Park. Manager Park, I wonder if you can get used to the taste of this coffee from the logistics department? It can't compare to the imported coffee you used to drink."

"How dare you talk like that? Who is our Manager Park? He's someone who's been through tough times; he can drink even the worst coffee. It's just a pity that Manager Park used to manage projects worth billions; it's a real waste of his talents to be in charge of office supplies procurement now, hahaha!"

"Speaking of which, it's quite an eye-opener that Manager Park managed to botch such a simple matter as signing an entry agreement with Pengcheng Electronic Industrial Park. To put it bluntly, even a dog could have handled this, don't you think?"

The people around him smiled and nodded, clearly agreeing with what he said.

Park Bo-dong's face turned ashen. These words were like cold, venomous snakes, coiling around his heart and tightening little by little.

He gripped the cup tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. He took two deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't get angry, at least not now.

He knew in his heart that the arrival of these people was definitely not a coincidence, but rather the deliberate act of someone with ulterior motives, just to disgust him.

After the coffee was served, he acted as if he hadn't seen anyone, quickly left the tea room, returned to his workstation, and sat there for the entire morning. No one came to see him, as if he didn't exist.

At lunchtime in the cafeteria, he sat alone in a corner. In the past, he would always be surrounded by people waiting to report on their work or trying to get close to him.

Now, the seats around him seem to be invisiblely isolated, and no one approaches.

But he could clearly hear the whispers coming from all around him.

"That's Vice President Park? He doesn't look like much. I wonder how he climbed to such a high position."

"Serves him right! He was so powerful when he was the vice president, and now he's in such a miserable state."

"Speaking of which, going from vice president to deputy manager is such a huge difference. If I were him, I would have just resigned and left. How does he still have the courage to stay in the company? Does he think he can climb up the ranks?"

"How could that be? Don't you even know who announced this demotion order? Besides, with such a big incident at the electronics industrial park, someone has to take the blame!"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ If I were him, I would have packed my bags and left long ago. Does he think he's not embarrassed enough already?"

Every idle word felt like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting into his dignity. He had an urge to slam his fist on the table, stand up, yell at everyone, and then quit his job.

But he quickly suppressed the impulse, eating the food on his plate with a bland taste. Thinking of Ji Wenbo's arrangements for him last night, and for the safety of his family, he knew he had to endure it.

This public humiliation and isolation was more unbearable than imagined.

In the afternoon, Park Pu-dong was suddenly called to attend an internal meeting of the logistics department. The meeting was chaired by the department's head, a nice old man who was just waiting to retire.

During the meeting, however, the manager Kim repeatedly provoked Park Bo-dong by interrupting his speech or deliberately misinterpreting his meaning, which caused several other observant employees to chuckle quietly. The good-natured manager, who was also the type to smooth things over, did not sternly stop him.

Park Pu-dong sat there, feeling the air thicken and suffocate him. He clearly realized that there was no place for him here anymore.

Li Mingzhe threw him here, perhaps initially intending to subject him to all sorts of humiliation, to make him someone anyone could trample on, to completely crush his dignity into the mud, to make him a cripple who could never get up again.

He still harbored a lingering affection for Sanxing Electronics, after all, he had worked there for over twenty years, and it was as if he had watched it grow up; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it his "son."

But that lingering affection is rapidly being worn away by these cold taunts, replaced by an increasingly intense resentment and a do-or-die determination.

As soon as it was time to leave work, Park Pu-dong practically fled the Samheung Electronics Building.

Sitting in his car, he leaned back in the driver's seat and let out a long, tired sigh.

The Sanxing Electronics Building outside the car window still shone brightly in the sunset, but it could no longer stir any emotion in his heart, leaving only a cold sense of alienation.

He took out his phone and looked at the encrypted number belonging to Ji Wenbo, which he had just saved last night. His eyes gradually became firm and cold.

"Li Mingzhe, Park Yongxin, and all those who mocked me today, I, Park Pudong, will remember the humiliation you inflicted upon me!" Park Pudong glanced at the Sanxing Electronics Building one last time before starting his car and merging into traffic. Zhengdao Industrial Park Office Building.

In his top-floor office, Xiao Chen, who had been wandering around the park for several days, finally had some free time.

Leaning back on the sofa, Xiao Chen popped a few grapes into his mouth before saying with a sigh, "Old Su, you're moving faster and faster these days. It's only been a short time since I've been here, but the park already feels incredibly unfamiliar."

He spent two whole days at just one shipyard, where all sorts of advanced technologies were constantly emerging, which broadened his horizons.

Putting aside other advanced technologies, the stealth coating (paint) alone excited him for a long time. After spending two days conducting various precise tests, the results were indeed as Engineer Luo had said: it could completely resist radar wave detection. If this were applied to aircraft, it would be unbelievable.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen glanced at the file bag next to him out of the corner of his eye. It contained information about the advanced technology discovered at the shipyard, including stealth coatings.

"This is nothing!" Su Chen stretched lazily. "Just wait another year or two. Once my military industrial enterprise headquarters is built, you'll be absolutely amazed."

Xiao Chen didn't question Su Chen's words at all. After all, judging from the current situation, it was clear that Su Chen was holding back some big move, but he didn't know exactly what it was.

"Don't be surprised~ That's all for the future. What I'm concerned about now is whether the White Emperor can land successfully today!" He has been worried about the White Emperor aerospace fighter for the past few days. After inspecting the park during the day, he would go to the research base to check on the progress of the White Emperor's assembly.

Su Chen calmly waved his hand: "Don't worry~ Professor Li gave me a firm order, I will definitely be able to finish assembling it before six o'clock this evening!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen glanced at his wristwatch. There were still three hours until six o'clock in the evening, which made Xiao Chen feel for the first time that time was passing so slowly.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the office door, and Su Chen and Xiao Chen stopped talking and looked towards the door.

The next second, the office door opened, and Xiao Peng walked in with a folder in his hand, followed by a middle-aged man with a tired look on his face.

"Sir, the team that went to the Western Regions for an inspection has returned!" Xiao Peng reported as soon as he entered the room.

As he spoke, Xiao Peng turned slightly to reveal the person behind him and introduced, "This is Sun Han, the leader of the inspection team sent by the park earlier!"

Sun Han immediately straightened his back, took a step forward, and respectfully greeted Su Chen, "Hello, boss!"

Su Chen nodded slightly in response. He could tell that Sun Han hadn't even had time to rest after returning before Xiao Peng brought him here. He pointed to the empty sofa and said, "Sit down and let's talk. Chen Fei, pour Sun Han a cup of tea."

Sun Han walked somewhat awkwardly to the sofa and sat down, unconsciously rubbing his hands on his legs as if trying to ease his nervousness.

Xiao Peng then handed the folder in his hand to Su Chen at the opportune moment and tactfully stepped aside.

Su Chen took the folder but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he looked at Sun Han and asked in a calm tone, "You've had a hard time on this trip to the Western Frontier. Tell me, how did it go?"

Sun Han accepted the teacup from Sun Fei with both hands, nodded his thanks, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down: "Boss, the situation in Xinjiang is more complicated than we expected. Following your instructions, we have focused on investigating several potential sites in Urumqi, Kashgar, Hotan, Altay, and on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts: "The local authorities were very supportive of our investigation, providing many policy benefits, especially regarding land, but..."

“Through our investigation, we found that we are facing two major challenges: First, the infrastructure is relatively weak, especially the stable power supply and high-speed network coverage. To reach the current standards of the park, the initial investment will be very large.”

"Secondly, the local area is not attractive enough for high-end talent. Although the local labor force is sufficient, it is difficult to replenish the top scientific researchers and various types of engineers that we need from the local area."

As Su Chen listened, he opened the folder, which contained a detailed investigation report and data analysis. He read it quickly, his gaze lingering briefly on a few key data points.

Sun Han continued, a hint of barely perceptible excitement in his voice: "However, boss, we've also discovered an excellent place – the Altay region!"

"The Altay region boasts the richest resources in western Xinjiang, with 92 types of minerals discovered, including rare metals such as beryllium and lithium. It has 31 large-scale mineral deposits. In addition, its hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic resources are among the best in western Xinjiang. If various large-scale power stations are built, it can not only meet its own needs, but may even be exported in the future."

"Moreover, the area is vast with few airspace restrictions, making it ideal for us to conduct various highly confidential cutting-edge tests in the future." As he said the last sentence, he subconsciously glanced at Xiao Chen sitting next to him.

Su Chen closed the document, tapping his fingers lightly on the cover. He pondered for a moment, his expression unreadable: "Is this the result reached by your entire inspection team?"

“Yes! Boss, we all agree that the Altay region is the best place!” Sun Han naturally understood what Su Chen meant and straightened his back, responding with a serious expression.

"I understand!" Su Chen looked at Sun Han with sharp eyes. "You've worked hard these past few days. Go back and get some rest. I'll have Xiao Peng distribute the bonuses according to the highest standard."

Sun Han's face instantly lit up, and the fatigue from many days of travel seemed to vanish in that moment. He quickly stood up and said, "Thank you, boss! It's what we should do!"

"Okay, go ahead!" Su Chen waved his hand.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Peng immediately led the profusely grateful Sun Han out of the office.

As soon as the door closed, Xiao Chen eagerly moved closer to Su Chen: "So, what's the plan? To build your military industrial enterprise in the Altay region?"

Su Chen gently patted the folder on his lap and smiled, "I'll think about it some more. But I've heard that the scenery in the Altay region is quite beautiful. Once I've finished my work, I can take this opportunity to go and have a look."

Xiao Chen instantly understood. He was about to say that he had nothing to do during this time and was thinking of going along to take a look, but when he saw the file bag next to him, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Once he brings these documents back to the capital, he'll probably be unable to leave the city for a while, and naturally won't have time to hang out with Su Chen.

However, Xiao Chen didn't dwell on it too much and quickly steered the conversation back to the White Emperor. (End of Chapter)