After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of engine oil.

Jiang Fan stared intently at Chen Pingfang, his eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion, but also a hint of resentment.

A promotion? Or working on chip manufacturing?

This is a very sensitive issue that everyone in this position has to face.

Chen Ping did not answer.

He simply looked at Jiang Fan calmly, then smiled and asked in return, "You should ask yourself that question."

Jiang Fan was stunned.

Chen Pingfang's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear: "That blueprint with the EUV interface shouldn't just lie in the filing cabinet forever, becoming a piece of waste paper. You have the opportunity to turn it into reality yourself."

"You..." Jiang Fan's breath hitched.

That blueprint was his pride, but also his deepest sorrow. A top engineer's vision for the future was simply discarded as waste paper by Hu Jinshan.

Chen Pingfang continued, "My goal is to get this done; the promotion is just a byproduct. As for you," Chen Pingfang pointed to the evaluation report, "come back. Don't spend your whole life repairing Santanas. Hundreds of billions worth of equipment are waiting for your orders."

Every word he said resonated deeply with Jiang Fan.

"I..." Jiang Fan's lips moved, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He slammed the tarpaulin in his hand onto the workbench with a loud thud.

He roared out a single word: "Fine! I'll work with you! But I must have full technical control over the project. From equipment procurement to production line debugging, you, as the director, can't give orders haphazardly!"

"Okay." Chen Ping nodded without hesitation. "From today onwards, you will be the chief engineer of the Chipfire Industrial Park. The personnel appointment will be finalized tomorrow."

He stretched out his hand.

Jiang Fan looked at his clean hands, then looked down at her own greasy hands, and hesitated for a moment.

Chen Pingfang didn't care at all, and directly grabbed it, squeezing it tightly.

"Welcome back to the team, Engineer Jiang."

……

Two days later, in the office of the director of the High-tech Zone Management Committee.

Hu Jinshan's rosewood desk has been replaced with a modern one. The calligraphy and paintings on the wall have also been removed, and a planning map of the Xinhuo Industrial Park has been hung up instead.

Jiang Fan had changed into a clean engineer's jacket. His hair was still a little messy, but he looked much more energetic, a completely different person from the one in the auto repair shop. He was holding a pen, writing something quickly on a planning map.

There was a knock on the office door.

Zhang Chao pushed open the door and came in with a strange expression: "Director, several division chiefs from the Municipal Finance Bureau, Land and Resources Bureau, and Planning Bureau have come. They said they want to learn about the instructions from the provincial leaders and fully support the work of our park."

Chen Ping was looking at an equipment list and, without looking up, asked, "Oh? Who's here?"

"Director Liu from the Finance Bureau, Director Wang from the Land and Resources Bureau... they're all powerful figures in their respective bureaus," Zhang Chao said in a low voice. "Judging from their demeanor, they're just here to reap the benefits."

The governor had barely left, and the ink on the official document was still wet, when these people came running.

The Chipfire Industrial Park used to be a mess that everyone avoided, but now that it's a provincial-level reform pilot project, it's become incredibly popular. Everyone wants a piece of the pie and some political achievements.

Chen Ping put down his pen and smiled.

"Please invite them in; it's in the small conference room outside. Also, make several copies of our newly drafted 'Interim Measures for the Admission and Performance Evaluation of External Collaborating Units of the Special Working Group for the Reform of State-owned Enterprises in the Chipfire Industrial Park,' and give one copy to each of the department heads."

Zhang Chao was taken aback: "Director, when did we come up with such a method?"

"Just now," Chen Ping pointed to a page in front of him, on which he had just written a few points, "Go and do it now."

In the small conference room, several department heads with real power were chatting and laughing loudly, as if they were the masters of the place.

"Director Chen is young and promising! He has revitalized such a large project with just one move. Our Finance Bureau will definitely give him our full support!" Director Liu of the Finance Bureau said, his belly protruding and his face beaming.

"Yes, yes, our Land and Resources Bureau is the same. As long as Director Chen asks, we will definitely give priority to ensuring the availability of land quotas!" Director Wang of the Land and Resources Bureau patted his chest confidently.

They speak better than they sing.

Chen Ping walked in with a smile.

"Welcome, leaders, to our High-tech Zone for guidance. On behalf of the Management Committee, I would like to express my gratitude." He began politely, then gestured for Zhang Chao to distribute the documents.

The department heads took the document, their smiles still lingering.

But as they read the title and content, the air in the meeting room began to quiet down.

"Distinguished leaders," Chen Pingfang's voice remained gentle, "I am deeply moved by everyone's enthusiasm. The reform of the Chipfire Industrial Park needs the strong support of our sister units. Therefore, our working group has decided, based on the principle of openness and cooperation, to welcome various units in the city to join our reform pilot program in the form of project teams."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"This interim measure forms our cooperation framework. Simply put, it has three points."

"First, participants must bring their own funding. Organizations wishing to join must bring their own projects and matching funds. The projects must pass the review of our expert panel, and the funds must be in place in advance and used for their designated purpose."

"Second, send personnel to the park. You must send key personnel from your organization who are knowledgeable in the business to be permanently stationed in the park and subject to the unified management and assessment of the working group. Those who are merely nominally involved but do not contribute are not welcome."

"Third, the performance-based agreement." Chen Pingfang emphasized, "All project teams that join must sign a three-year performance-based agreement with our working group. Within three years, if the agreed goals are achieved, the resulting benefits and achievements will be distributed according to everyone's contribution. If the goals are not achieved, the sending unit will bear the financial losses of the project investment, and the sending personnel will also have a record of unsatisfactory performance on their resumes."

The meeting room fell silent immediately.

The smiles on the faces of the several section chiefs froze, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Bringing investment into the group? Sending personnel to be stationed there permanently? And requiring a performance-based agreement?

This isn't about picking peaches; it's about making them risk their lives to plant trees!

If the task is not completed, not only will the money be wasted, but the careers of the people sent will also be tarnished. Who can bear this responsibility?

Director Liu from the Finance Bureau was the first to get restless. He wiped the sweat from his brow and chuckled dryly, "Director Chen, isn't this... this method a bit too... too radical? We're all brother units, supporting each other is only right. This kind of betting is going to hurt our relationship."

"Director Liu is right. Not signing a performance-based agreement would hurt the feelings between the brothers." Chen Ping laughed innocently. "Let's lay everything out in advance and set the rules. If we achieve results, everyone will be credited, and no one can take the credit away. If we do things haphazardly, it's fine if we succeed, but if we fail, who will be responsible? I don't want to ruin our harmonious relationship with the leaders over something like this."

These words were so well-placed that they completely blocked everyone's escape route.

Just then, Chen Ping's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, pressed the speakerphone button, and a steady voice came from it.

"Comrade Pingfang, this is Zhou Wenyuan. How's it going on your end? I heard it was quite lively today?"

The Party Secretary of the Municipality, Zhou Wenyuan!

The hearts of the several section chiefs skipped a beat.

"Thank you for your concern, Secretary Zhou." Chen Pingfang said respectfully. "I am currently in a meeting with several comrades from the city who came to support our work, discussing ways to further cooperate."

"Hmm." Zhou Wenyuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "The Corefire Industrial Park is a deep-water zone for reform; the province and city are watching closely. As the team leader, you have the authority to make decisions on the spot. Go ahead and do it; don't have any reservations. If anyone is only thinking about reaping the benefits without putting in the effort, tell me directly."

The phone hangs up.

The meeting room was eerily quiet.

Director Liu and the others turned pale; they could, of course, understand the meaning behind Zhou Wenyuan's words.

"Um... Director Chen, there's an urgent meeting at our bureau, I have to go back first."

"Yes, yes, that's right too. We'll come back another day to discuss the details of our cooperation with Director Chen in more detail."

A group of department heads who had been so enthusiastic just moments before were now in a hurry to get up and say goodbye, slinking away from the conference room.

Looking at their disheveled figures, Zhang Chao couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Director, that was a ruthless move."

Chen Ping walked to the window and watched the cars drive away, his eyes calm.

"Want to pick some peaches?"

He gave a cold laugh.

"Learn to plant trees first."