After exhausting all methods to gather information, the people from Shoucheng finally obtained some useful news and gathered once again for a discussion.

“This Lao He has a deep relationship with Meng Suihuan. If it weren’t for his help with the company’s listing, Xuyu Group wouldn’t have had a chance to go public. So, their gathering this time must be for something significant!”

Everyone turned to him, waiting for him to share something useful, but instead, they just stared at each other, and he stammered, “As for the specific plans…” He looked around the room and his gaze landed on one person. “Xiao Zhang, didn’t you say you had some clues? You go ahead and share!”

Everyone: “…”

Xiao Zhang, who had been called upon, did not hesitate. He took out a stack of documents and respectfully handed them to Yang Xun.

“Mr. Yang, these are the materials I gathered overnight. I investigated all the projects that Lao He is holding, and I came up with two possibilities. One is the land in the west of the city, and the other is the potential acquisition of Anda Group.”

“Anda Group?” Yang Xun’s eyes narrowed. He was familiar with the company. It had originally been a state-owned enterprise, but a few years ago, due to an economic downturn, Anda Group was leased to a Japanese company for five years. After roughly calculating the time, this year was indeed the fifth year.

His eyes moved back to the stack of materials in his hands, and he carefully read through the information. A strong smile curled at the corners of his lips. He looked up at the man in front of him and said clearly, “You did well. What’s your current position?”

The man trembled as he answered. The next moment, a large pie hit him on the head. He had been promoted.

—

On January 1, 2000, the day Meng Suihuan had long anticipated, the smartphone that she had been researching for nearly a year was set to launch. By the end of November, all preparations had been nearly completed. The prototype had been designed in the lab.

Meng Suihuan carefully examined the smartphone in her hands, feeling a mix of emotions—happiness, anticipation, as well as memories and longing. She had been in this fictional world for over two years, and her life progress bar had been slowly increasing. It had reached 72% so far. Once the smartphone was released and circulated nationwide, this number would grow at an astonishing rate.

She wasn’t sure how much it would increase by then. Would it reach 80%, 90%, or even 100%? Her hope was always 100%, every moment, all the time.

As soon as the news was released on Tianxia Net, the people from Shoucheng Group received it. The news passed through various layers of communication and quickly reached Xiao Yang, the CEO. Immediately, he issued an order to Shen Jin.

Ten days.

He only had ten days.

Otherwise, that matter would spread throughout Ning City, and all the reputation, honor, and pride he had built over the years would vanish into nothing. Shen Jin’s eyes darkened. During this time, he had already quietly used many methods. Although he had not succeeded, he had found a possible solution. With Liu Ge as a cautionary tale, he did not act rashly but carefully assessed the risks of this plan. Yang Xun’s call was like a death warrant, forcing him to make a decision. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped onto an irreversible path.

—

The inefficiency and waste caused by state-owned enterprises had long been a burden, and the enormous financial support was like dark clouds hanging over the relevant departments. Although the government had already issued policies allowing state-owned enterprises to lease, sell, or restructure, Ning City had followed these policies by leasing some state-owned enterprises to foreign companies or selling them at low prices to related businesses. However, the results had been minimal. Employees in state-owned enterprises had grown used to an easy and comfortable lifestyle, and their productivity was low. Accustomed to living with minimal effort, they couldn’t tolerate the work pace and model of private or foreign companies, leading to conflicts. Eventually, enterprises either went bankrupt or employees lost their jobs, briefly ending the issue. Over time, this problem had become an obstacle to Ning City’s economic development, lingering like a thorn in the hearts of the leaders.

—

“Xiao Huan, do you have time today? There’s an important person who wants to meet you.”

Lao He’s call was expected, but when she saw the “important person” he referred to, everything was unexpected. It was the mayor of Ning City, the highest leader of the city.

“Xiao Huan, this is Mayor Sun. The mayor is very interested in the enterprise reform and development ideas you mentioned earlier and specifically asked for you to come and discuss them in detail.”

Lao He naturally acted as the intermediary. A company of Xuyu Group’s size inevitably interacted with local political leaders, and as the group’s head, Meng Suihuan was no stranger to the mayor. However, this was the first time she had interacted so closely with Mayor Sun.

“Mayor, I’m Meng Suihuan, the head of Xuyu Group. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She greeted him gracefully.

Mayor Sun’s gaze remained on her. Seeing that she was flattering him but remained composed, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Xiao Meng, I’ve heard DLao He speak highly of you. At such a young age, managing a listed company, you’re very talented and have a bright future ahead.”

Mayor Sun complimented her with a smile. Meng Suihuan modestly accepted the praise and tactfully flattered him in return. “It’s all thanks to the policies and leadership. I’ve just followed the guidance of the policies and leaders, and that’s how we achieved these results.”

Flattery was a skill, and her words seemed to please Mayor Sun, who smiled even more warmly.

“You’re very eloquent. No wonder Lao He always speaks so highly of you,” he said with a smile.

Meng Suihuan politely smiled and waited for the next part of the conversation. As expected, Mayor Sun’s tone shifted.

“A few days ago, Lao He wrote a report on the direction and future development of state-owned enterprises reform. The ideas were insightful and unique. I heard this proposal was made by you, Xiao Meng. Could you elaborate on it?”

Meng Suihuan was slightly surprised. After all, when she had discussed the matter with Lao He, she had supplemented various details afterward, and Lao He was the only one who could articulate this plan so thoroughly.

This was her gift to Lao He, a carefully planned favor. In this situation, as long as Lao He didn’t speak, the credit would be his. She subtly glanced at Lao He, who gave her a gentle and encouraging smile.

Meng Suihuan didn’t refuse. She turned her attention back to the conversation and began to explain. She discussed many aspects, from the current economic situation in the country to the policies related to state-owned enterprises, to Ning City’s current development status and challenges over the past few years.

“…The overall direction of state-owned enterprise reform is not an issue. For example, Yun City and Qingcheng have achieved certain results. However, this approach has not been very effective in Ning City. The reasons are manifold, but the primary one is related to the people. Whether it’s restructuring, leasing, or transferring, these methods only adjust the enterprises themselves. The most important core—the people and their mindset—remains unchanged.”

“This is why a series of issues followed.”

Mayor Sun nodded.

“We’ve considered these problems before, like with Anda Plastics. They implemented measures that had short-term effects, but over time, they returned to their old ways. State-owned enterprises have long been seen as iron rice bowls. After so many years, they’ve been in an environment where this mentality has taken root. Changing this mindset overnight is no easy task.”

“Yes, it’s difficult to change people’s mindset, but it’s not impossible.”

“I noticed in the report you mentioned stimulating the people’s enthusiasm to address this issue. I’d like to hear your thoughts on how to do that.”

Their eyes met, and Meng Suihuan calmly and confidently said nine words:

“Imitate the household contract responsibility system.”

“Mm?”

Mayor Sun’s eyes narrowed, first in shock, then in scrutiny and deep thought as he fixed his gaze on her. The room fell silent, and the sound of the aquarium’s bubbling water and birds chirping outside could be heard clearly.

After a long silence, the quiet was broken by a hearty laugh. Mayor Sun repeatedly praised her.

“Ning City is indeed a place with beautiful mountains, clear waters, and hidden talents.”

“Xiao Meng, what do you think?”

The way he addressed her had changed from distant to more familiar and genuine.

Shen Jin had been keeping an eye on Meng Suihuan, and before she even left the government office, he had already received the news.

If he had previously suspected that this might be another smoke screen set up by her to confuse him, now he was certain. It was clear that this woman had been pushed to a certain limit by him; otherwise, why would she make such a move? It didn’t matter; he could take it once, so he could take it twice or even three times. This time would be no different. He really looked forward to seeing her furious but helpless expression. It would be much more satisfying than her usual arrogant demeanor.

They say good things come one after another. Yang Xun’s excitement had not yet subsided when he received a call from Shen Jin. The message was short and simple: “Got it.”

The team at Shoucheng quickly began testing the data Shen Jin had brought back, running multiple tests three times before finally reaching a conclusion. The data was real and valid. They had indeed obtained the most crucial core data from the other side. Everyone was genuinely thrilled. Yang Xun, in particular, was so happy that he couldn’t contain himself. He waved his hand, and everyone present would have their wages doubled for the month.

Originally, Shen Jin had planned to call Meng Suihuan and personally deliver the news to her, but then he reconsidered. Perhaps there was a more interesting way to handle it.

On his way, Shen Jin was on edge. After all, Lu Linshen was always cautious in his work, and had previously tampered with core data. There was no guarantee that he hadn’t done the same this time. Even though he was looking at the decrypted data, it still felt somewhat unreal. A careful person like Lu Linshen, could he really have left no backup plan?

Lost in thought, he felt a weight on his shoulder and looked up to see Yang Xun’s face reflected in his eyes. He then heard a teasing voice in his ear.

“Manager Shen, this time your contribution was the biggest. What reward do you want?”