Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

The students present remained silent, and no one interrupted.

Although Xiao Ran was clearly showing off blatantly—

He boasted that although his grades were poor back then, he is now more successful and glamorous than the top students in his class.

Furthermore, Xingkai Group is a huge joint venture that is about to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Once Xiao Ran cashes out the stock options he holds, he will definitely become a billionaire!

No one wants to offend such connections easily, nor is it worth ruining a relationship over an old squad leader they haven't seen in ten years.

Only Sun Peng kept chiming in.

He's currently a regional manager for a branded mobile phone manufacturer, and has absolutely no connection to Xingkai Group, so naturally he ignores this guy.

Seeing Xiao Ran's aggressive attitude, Sun Peng was so angry he almost jumped up. "Xiao Ran, don't go too far! You talk like you know everything. You're just a petty, vindictive person. It's been so many years, and you're still taking your anger out on the time you were rejected when you confessed your feelings to me..."

Song Xingye reached out and held down his childhood friend who was about to explode, then slowly raised his head, his gaze calm and composed, looking directly at Xiao Ran:

"Xingkai Group, right? I heard you have a large amount of breach of contract fees to pay recently?"

Xiao Ran was already a bit irritated by Sun Peng's words, and retorted, "What's it to you? How did you know?"

Song Xingye said calmly, "Xingkai Group won the bid for a batch of special metal materials from Dongyu Group, but the entire batch was returned during the acceptance inspection, right?"

The reason is that the material strength is substandard, leading to deviations in the precision of the finished parts. This is entirely the contractor's responsibility, and the penalty for breach of contract... won't be a small amount, will it?"

After he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

Judging from Xiao Ran's frozen expression, everyone knew that Song Xingye was definitely right.

Xiao Ran tentatively asked, "How...did you know about these things?"

Song Xingye leaned back and crossed his arms. "I know Representative Li, who is in charge of leading the investigation into the quality issues."

Moreover, it's no use for Xingkai Group to contact anyone about this matter; local people have no authority to investigate Dongyu Group.

Besides, the District Chief Min you contacted is only seconded from Dongyu Group for training; he wouldn't get involved in this mess.

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and, as if in casual conversation, politely added a sarcastic remark.

"If this money is lost, Xingkai Group's listing plan will probably have to be postponed indefinitely, right?"

The Representative Li that Song Xingye mentioned was naturally Li Ang from the group's office.

At the farewell dinner after summer camp ended a while ago, that guy casually mentioned this unfortunate incident.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran turned out to be one of these unlucky fellows.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran's expression immediately changed.

A state-owned enterprise of the caliber of Dongyu Group is indeed not something that local governments can dictate.

It is also related to the military industry.

They send representatives down to investigate. Once the evidence is irrefutable and Xingkai Group's "quality system has failed," they can act first and ask for permission later, directly canceling the company's confidentiality and manufacturing qualifications.

This is absolutely devastating for Xingkai Group, ten thousand times more serious than a typical fine of several hundred thousand yuan, not to mention it may also affect its listing!

At that point, the stock options Xiao Ran holds will truly be nothing but a pile of worthless paper.

His expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. He instantly realized that Song Xingye was able to speak with that representative, and he couldn't help but feel secretly regretful, as if he were kicking himself.

But what's more important than stock options when it comes to saving face?

"Um... Hoshino, what's your relationship with that Representative Li...?"

Xiao Ran quickly stood up, a fawning smile plastered on his face, trying to mend their broken 'friendship'.

As a result, the hand that was proactively extended was left unattended.

Without even glancing at them, Song Xingye went straight to Sun Peng and said, "Everyone, we have some things to attend to, so we'll be leaving now. Let's get together another day!"

Xiao Ran was startled, her face flushed as she withdrew her hand, watching helplessly as the two figures disappeared through the doorway.

……

As Song Xingye was leaving the Western restaurant, he was about to push the mountain bike when Sun Peng stopped him.

He swaggered around, brandishing his car keys. "It's the company car. Let's go, I'll take you to our usual spot!"

Sun Peng drove him through the night, finally stopping at a barbecue stall near the Olympic Sports Center.

Smoke swirled around, and the aroma was irresistible.

After getting off the bus, Sun Peng ordered a whole bunch of lamb skewers, grilled chicken wings, and even some extra spicy kidneys. He also brought out two cases of beer.

Song Xingye asked, "Are you sure you can finish all this?"

Sun Peng laughed and said, "It's about making up for the regrets of our youth. Remember when we were in school? We'd skip evening self-study, climb over the wall, and empty our pockets to scrape together thirty yuan. We'd just buy a few skewers, and the two of us could happily munch away all night with our sodas."

Song Xingye shook his head with a faint smile.

Back then, this street was full of shops selling pirated CDs and music tapes, but now it has been replaced by a clean street and can no longer be found.

Sun Peng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Old Yang! Do you still remember us?"

The barbecue stall owner, whose hair was already gray, stared for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Oh dear, I'm getting old, my eyesight is failing, I really can't remember."

Sun Peng laughed heartily, "It's alright, we still remember you!"

The owner wiped his hands on his greasy apron and said cheerfully, "Alright, since you're regular customers, I'll give you a 30% discount today. Eat as much as you want!"

The charcoal fire is blazing, and the meat skewers are sizzling with oil.

When the barbecue was served, Sun Peng took a bite of the crispy chicken wing, looking satisfied. "It's been so long since I've had barbecue skewers, they're so delicious!"

Song Xingye smiled and tilted his head back to gulp down a large glass of ice-cold beer.

Sun Peng picked at the plate of pickled tripe and stir-fried green beans that the boss had brought him, and enthusiastically suggested...

"How about we go to karaoke later? It's been ages since we've had a proper sing-along together."

Song Xingye squinted and looked out onto the street. "It's been quite a while. Even the Melody Karaoke bar is closed."

He filled Sun Peng's glass, and the latter didn't refuse, drinking it all in one gulp and letting out a hearty burp.

Song Xingye asked, "Which company do you work for again? Huawei, right? How's work?"

Slightly tipsy, Sun Peng waved his hand. "It's tough here. Samsung and Qualcomm are holding us back when it comes to screens and CPUs. Domestic phone manufacturers have been dying out several times over. Add to that all those knock-off phones from Huaqiangbei, and we're just trying to survive one more day at a time!"

Song Xingye's sharp eyebrows furrowed. "2011 was precisely the year the old king of domestic mobile phones collapsed and many new players rose up..."

"What bear?"

"I mean, don't be so pessimistic. Although pirated phones are rampant in Huaqiangbei right now... they'll be finished once smartphones come out, and then the good times will come..."

Song Xingye slowly and steadily finished his glass of wine, saying, "Huawei is currently at the forefront of the transition from feature phones to smartphones. You must not slack off. Perform well, and you might just become a pig riding the wave."

Sun Peng laughed and scolded, "Alright, alright, I know. Are you indirectly insulting me?"

The two chatted idly.

After a few rounds of drinks, Sun Peng, a little tipsy, started muttering to himself:

"That idiot Xiao Ran has really lost face today. I really don't know how this grandson got to where he is. Xingkai can recruit such a 'talent'. I wonder how many connections his father had to pull."

Song Xingye lowered his head, opened another bottle of beer, poured the pale yellow liquid mixed with white foam into a glass, and said:

"Actually, I've never understood why he blamed me when he was rejected after confessing his feelings to someone. I didn't steal him away."

"Nonsense! It's all because your academic excellence is so dazzling that it makes those young girls in their late teens and early twenties lose their minds!"

Sun Peng slurred his words and laughed incoherently.

"Not only was he good at studying, but he was also handsome; not only was he handsome, but he was also a great basketball player! Back then, even the teenage girls stopped hanging out with the delinquents and would camp out at the classroom door to watch him as soon as get out of class ended. Tell me, how could Xiao Ran not be green with envy? Haha!"

"That's an exaggeration! I don't remember that at all!"

"You'd be a fool to remember that! Back then, all you knew was to be practicing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms with a copy of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'! I, your brother, witnessed all your glorious years! Come on, Hoshino, give me a shout-out!"

"Come!"

Song Xingye raised the wine bottle and slammed it against him, making a "clink" sound.

The two tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp, wiping their mouths with a satisfied air. Then, one of them started humming that familiar tune, "The World's Number One."

"Life's scenery is like the surging winds of the sea, sometimes fierce, sometimes calm, my dear friend, be careful..."

"A cup of wine costs two cents, and people come to join in every now and then. If we're talking about building lasting friendships, I'm number one in the world..."