Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

Before he could finish speaking, Director Yang calmly interjected, "The ministry leaders specifically requested that you attend this meeting."

"Special roll call"—these four words struck like a thunderclap, and the cafeteria instantly fell silent enough that you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes suddenly turned to Liu Guangqi.

A meeting of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry! The ministry leaders themselves were the ones calling out names!

With a soft "thud," the chopsticks in Liu Haizhong's hand fell straight into the lunchbox, splattering a few drops of oil. He opened his mouth, but remained silent for a long time.

The Ministry of Metallurgical Industry... specifically named my son?

Yi Zhonghai was also stunned, his hand holding the enamel cup suspended in mid-air, unaware that a little water had spilled. Only one thought kept replaying in his mind: This kid has actually reached such a level?

Not far away, Jia Dongxu was even more shocked, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it. He was a few years older than Liu Guangqi, who had already been selected by the ministry to participate in important meetings, while he was still worrying about his monthly quota—how could the difference between people be so vast?

In the ensuing silence, Liu Guangqi simply smiled calmly, his expression utterly unflappable: "Alright, Director Yang, Director Li, let's get going."

As Liu Haizhong watched his son walk away with the two factory directors, his face was overflowing with pride.

Shortly after, a black Volga drove away from the steel rolling mill and headed towards the Ministry of Metallurgy.

Inside the car, Director Yang looked at Liu Guangqi and said solemnly, "Comrade Guangqi..."

A tense and heavy atmosphere filled the conference room. A long, dark brown solid wood table stood around the wall, its dark green tablecloth draped meticulously, and each seat had a white nameplate with black lettering. A red banner directly in front silently proclaimed the significance of this meeting—"New Generation Fighter Jet Parts Production and Allocation Meeting."

Liu Guangqi followed Factory Directors Yang and Li into the room, his gaze calmly sweeping over the entire space. The room was nearly full, filled with faces uniformly dressed in crisp cadre uniforms, pens tucked into their breast pockets, their expressions displaying the solemnity and reserve characteristic of leaders of large metallurgical enterprises. The steel rolling mill was seated in the first row, the order of seniority self-evident. He sat down behind his nameplate, the cool, smooth wooden table beside him.

"Have some water, moisten your throat." Li Huaide pushed a warm enamel mug towards him, his voice low and steady. "Today's occasion is quite significant. Whether the plane can take off soon largely depends on how we handle this." He paused, gesturing almost imperceptibly in a direction. "See? Quite a few old buddies are looking this way."

Liu Guangqi picked up his cup and looked up through the rising steam. Not far away, several middle-aged men who appeared to be factory managers were conversing quietly, their gazes frequently sweeping over him. Their eyes held a mixture of scrutiny, inquiry, and an undisguised burning desire—a thirst for talent. The recent activities of the steel rolling mill were no secret among these large factories in the same system. A factory with nearly ten thousand employees had, through a series of technological breakthroughs, increased its special steel production capacity several times over; this news couldn't be kept secret. And today, they had finally met the young man who had supposedly driven all of this.

"Is that the technical director borrowed from the No. 3 Rolling Mill? He's a bit too young," an elderly man with graying temples whispered to his companion for confirmation.

"Young as he may be, he's got quite the skills," someone nearby replied, with a hint of admiration in their voice. "I heard he was a key figure in the Ministry of Machine Building, and at the steel rolling mill, he was worth the entire technical department. Otherwise, how do you think their output skyrocketed? That's material for building aircraft frames, not just ordinary iron blocks."

Liu Guangqi withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless. Li Huaide's words in the corridor flashed through his mind again—this meeting was of extraordinary importance; key leaders from the ministry would be present, and personnel from the aviation industry would also be attending. He roughly understood why he, a seconded personnel, was being called to the meeting. The technical roadmap for the new fighter jet was mature, and mass production was imminent. What needed to be decided today was how the major factories would share this heavy responsibility. As a backbone of the Ministry of Metallurgy, the steel rolling mill naturally wanted to secure a major role. His being called to the meeting was both because of his role in increasing special steel production and improving the precision of CNC machine tools, and because he served as a kind of unspoken technical guarantor between the Ministry of Machine Building and the steel rolling mill.

Factory Director Yang sat upright in the front row, his posture as steady as a mountain. Li Huaide leaned slightly forward and continued in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Just keep the presentation in mind. Don't dwell on the key data, but if the leaders ask about technical details, you need to answer thoroughly. Our confidence comes half from our past achievements, and the other half..." He glanced at Liu Guangqi, "is right here with you."

The door to the conference room opened, and several solemn-looking leaders filed in. The hushed conversations ceased instantly, and the air seemed to grow even heavier. The meeting was about to begin.

The hushed conversations, like mosquitoes buzzing, barely audible in the quiet meeting room, with a few words occasionally slipping into ears. Liu Guangqi kept his eyes lowered, adhering to the principle of observing more and speaking less, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the warm enamel mug. Beside him, Li Huaide and Director Yang stood ramrod straight, the faint smiles on their lips unable to be completely concealed. The honor Liu Guangqi had earned for the steel rolling mill was enough to be discussed repeatedly by all the directors and deputy directors throughout the metallurgical system, who naturally felt a sense of pride.

Liu Guangqi noticed the expressions of the two men and silently weighed the situation in his mind. The room was packed with people; two or three from each factory represented more than twenty different units. All the factories directly under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry were present. This wasn't a meeting; it was like stumbling into a den of wolves, and judging from the situation, he looked like the most conspicuous, fat sheep.

Just then, the conference room door opened again, instantly silencing the whispers. A middle-aged leader with a lean face and solemn expression walked in steadily, surrounded by several core cadres from the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. He went straight to the podium, his gaze sweeping across the room like lightning, finally pausing briefly at the seats belonging to the steel rolling mill, his eyes landing precisely on the nameplate that read "Liu Guangqi." He only glanced at it briefly before looking away.

"Comrades, please be quiet." The Minister, Vice Ministers, and heads of major departments of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry took to the stage. Director Tian, ​​who was acquainted with Liu Guangqi, was among them. At that moment, the Minister held a thick stack of documents in his hand, and his voice, broadcast through the microphone, reached every corner: "We have gathered you all here today to finalize the production plan for the components of the new generation of fighter jets. The higher authorities have issued a strict target—within three months, our Ministry of Metallurgical Industry must complete the processing of the core components for the first batch of fifty fighter jets. This is a formidable test, but also a glorious mission that our entire metallurgical front must shoulder!"

A hush fell over the audience. This was a matter of national defense; no one dared to be careless. However, the numbers "three months" and "fifty aircraft" weighed heavily on the minds of every participant. This was no easy task.

The minister, flipping through the documents, suddenly raised his voice: "Here, I must especially commend one unit—the Third Steel Rolling Mill!" He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Under the technical guidance of Comrade Liu Guangqi, the mill's output of special steel has increased eightfold, with a 100% finished product rate, laying a solid foundation for the processing of fighter jet components! This approach of breaking through difficulties through technology is worthy of emulation by all units!"

These words immediately caused a slight ripple in the audience. Several factory managers sitting in the front row near the steel rolling mill unconsciously tightened their grip on their notebooks, their lips curling downwards slightly—their factories and the steel rolling mill were both under the same provincial-level administration, and last month they had been vying for the same batch of special steel orders. Unexpectedly, the steel rolling mill had taken the lead with its new technology, and now it was receiving public praise from the minister. They couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

In their view, everyone is in the same system and should be working side by side. Why is your steel rolling mill suddenly speeding ahead? While others are still struggling to increase production by a few percentage points, you have directly increased it eightfold? How can your peers bear such behavior?

Factory Director Yang sat upright, his face beaming with joy. He turned to Li Huaide and whispered, "See that? This is the weight that Comrade Guangqi has won for our steel rolling mill!" Li Huaide, equally radiant, nodded repeatedly, "We have truly obtained a treasure."

Liu Guangqi remained silent, his expression seemingly unmoved. But he understood better than anyone: the minister's praise was an honor, but also an invisible pressure. Hadn't he noticed the gazes from the other factories, like hooks locked onto him? From now on, it would be difficult to keep a low profile.

The minister's booming voice continued to echo in the conference room, firmly capturing everyone's attention. Gradually, the focus of the speech shifted smoothly from the grim production plan to the topic of technological innovation in the metallurgical industry.

"Comrades!" He looked around, his eyes shining. "In the past, we had a weak foundation and poor conditions, and we often lacked the strength to carry out technological innovation. But now, the situation is different!" The minister's tone suddenly rose a few decibels.

"The First Ministry of Machine Building has achieved a technological breakthrough in CNC machine tools."

"I understand that every unit is looking forward to new equipment and is thinking of queuing up to apply, but this should not be an excuse for us to stagnate."

"The actual results of the steel rolling mill have set an example for everyone—by not waiting or relying on others, proactively promoting technological transformation can completely multiply steel production!"

He deliberately stopped speaking at this point.

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat; even breathing seemed to slow down.

next moment.

Dozens of gazes followed the leader of the Ministry of Metallurgy's eyes and turned to the young man sitting in the corner who seemed out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

Liu Guangqi's heart sank; he knew things were probably going to get complicated.

really.

The Minister of Metallurgy spoke again slowly and deliberately, and the unspoken meaning in his words was clear to all the experienced veterans present.

"Next, I hope that the factories will actively carry out technical exchanges."

"Visit steel rolling mills more often and learn from them!"

"Unplanned technical materials can be freely exchanged and shared..."

"I believe that the steel rolling mill will share its valuable experience in upgrading machine tools without reservation, and discuss it with other units in the same system!"

Liu Guangqi immediately understood—

That's it!

He finally figured out the whole thing.

This was hardly a routine meeting of the Ministry of Metallurgy; it was clearly a showdown to present him as a living example of technical excellence!

No wonder!

No wonder I, someone temporarily transferred from the First Ministry of Machine Building, was arranged to appear at this event; it turns out the foreshadowing had been laid long ago.

It seems to be the Ministry of Metallurgy's plan.

They were hoping that he alone could drive the technological transformation process of all the directly affiliated factories.

Borrowing his abilities,

To promote the improvement of production efficiency in all plants under the entire metallurgical system.

As expected.

The Minister of Metallurgy's words were like a command.

The factory managers in the front row, who had previously been quite resentful of him, changed their expressions faster than turning the pages of a book.

Just moments ago, their gazes were filled with dissatisfaction and skepticism.

In a blink of an eye,

It changed to an almost urgent fervor.

Several factory directors and deputy directors were already getting restless, quickly exchanging glances with those around them, their meaning crystal clear:

Our factory must acquire this technology!

Liu Guangqi felt a throbbing sensation in his temples and gave a bitter smile.

If only I had known this would happen...

He shouldn't have agreed when Director Tian came to him to discuss a temporary transfer.

This is fine.

It is foreseeable that once this temporary assignment is over, he will not only be unable to find a moment of leisure, but he will also find it difficult to even return home.

But the thought only flashed through my mind for a moment.

He then thought of something else...

Looking at the expectant faces in the conference room, the helplessness in my heart gradually faded away.

If we can improve it through our own technology

Driving more metallurgical system-affiliated plants to move forward is also contributing to the country's industrial development.

after all,

Having lived through two different lives and arrived in this era, he has always hoped to leave some positive impact on this time.

This is not just an empty slogan!

Rather, it is an indelible sense of responsibility in the blood of every Chinese son and daughter.

"Now, let's announce the production allocation plan for the second half of the year!"