Chapter 5: A Woman’s Piercing Scream for Help!

Tang Ye handed back the pink makeup mirror.

The woman’s fingers were slender and pale as jade, her age estimated between twenty-five and thirty. She wore a light blue blouse with ruffled collar and a long purple skirt.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her eyebrows arched with alluring charm, and her eyes held a clear depth, as if harboring a faint sorrow.

Her full, graceful figure was like a ripe, juicy peach—any man would be tempted to take a bite.

“Thank you for the reminder.”

The young wife placed the makeup mirror into her creamy white cosmetic bag and cast a grateful glance at Tang Ye.

Then, swaying her slender waist like a willow branch, she took quick, delicate steps in silver high heels, clicking toward the conference room.

Tang Ye rubbed his nose, instinctively comparing her to Cheng Lin.

They were evenly matched in appearance, but their temperaments were worlds apart.

Cheng Lin exuded an intellectual aura.

This woman’s bright eyes seemed to harbor a blazing fire.

Tang Ye entered the conference room and had barely sat down when Xu Yiping announced the meeting’s start and introduced Tang Ye to the assembled business owners.

“Our Pinghu Township has a new deputy mayor, recently assigned by the Municipal Committee. Let’s welcome Comrade Tang Ye to say a few words.”

Gu Wenqin, female director of the Qinge Garment Factory, sat in the fifth seat to the right.

She was a bit surprised; she hadn’t expected that the young man she met earlier by the restroom was the new deputy mayor.

Tang Ye stood and scanned the room. “Hello everyone, my name is Tang Ye. I’m responsible for the township’s economic affairs. From now on, I will do my utmost to serve you all well.”

“Please, everyone, introduce your businesses to Comrade Tang Ye. If you have any difficulties, feel free to raise them!” Xu Yiping smiled, scraping the cup lid against the rim and blowing the tea leaves atop.

He took a small sip and looked toward the right.

There sat Xu Jie, Xu Yiping’s nephew and director of Bowman Garment Factory.

Xu Jie, prompted by Xu Yiping, was ready to give Tang Ye a “surprise.”

“Our factory plans to introduce several new production lines and expand. We had identified an empty plot and were about to start construction when someone maliciously reported us. The county officials came to halt the project. We ask for your assistance in resolving this.”

Xu Yiping watched Tang Ye’s reaction from the corner of his eye.

Tang Ye’s brows tightened from relaxed to serious. “As far as I know, that piece of land isn’t zoned for industrial use. Building a factory there without permission is a violation, so it’s natural the project was stopped. If you want to invest in a factory, consider other locations. The southern area is all industrial land.”

Xu Jie showed a mouthful of blackened teeth and sneered, “The southern area is too remote. We’re investing to build factories, create jobs, and increase tax revenue. Shouldn’t the government facilitate this from the enterprise’s perspective?”

Tang Ye smiled calmly and patiently explained, “Developing a township is like painting a picture. Each area on the canvas has its own pattern. You can’t build whatever you want wherever you want; otherwise, it would look like a patchwork of tattered clothes. According to Pinghu’s development plan, that land will be used for schools and residential communities. If you build factories now, they’ll have to be demolished later, which adds costs and wastes resources.”

Hearing this, Xu Jie was speechless.

Tang Ye had studied the township’s planning in detail and immediately saw through Xu Jie’s greed.

Outwardly, Xu Jie claimed he wanted to expand investment, but in reality, he was just setting a trap to secure a hefty compensation when demolition came.

Xu Yiping was surprised by Tang Ye’s response.

If Tang Ye had supported the factory construction, Xu Yiping could have gone along with it and later shifted blame onto Tang Ye if trouble arose.

Unexpectedly, Tang Ye did not fall into the trap.

The meeting ended.

Xu Jie found Xu Yiping in his office. “Uncle, that Tang fellow isn’t easy to deal with! That plot is a must-have for me. If he dares to block my money, I’ll fight him to the death!”

Xu Yiping glared at his nephew. “Don’t be hasty. He’s a cadre sent by the Municipal Committee. Let’s see if we can win him over. If not, we’ll make other plans.”

Xu Jie found it hard to accept. “Win him over? That guy looks down on everyone. If we don’t show him some force, he won’t know who’s boss!”

Xu Yiping tapped his pen on the desk. “How many times have I told you to be more prudent.”

Xu Jie pouted, thinking his uncle was too timid and indecisive.

After his nephew left, Xu Yiping twisted the pen cap thoughtfully and analyzed Tang Ye.

From the test, he concluded the young man was no ordinary official.

Originally, he had thought Tang Ye was a temporary appointee who would coast for a year and then leave.

But judging by Tang Ye’s attitude, he seemed determined to achieve something substantial.

He also wanted Pinghu to stop lagging behind, but even a skillful housewife cannot cook without rice.

Tang Ye was overly idealistic.

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Back in his office, Tang Ye began contemplating a plan to revive Pinghu’s economy.

His choice to take a temporary post in Pinghu was related to Hong Ruilin.

Twenty years ago, Hong Ruilin served as the township party secretary and created the “Pinghu Miracle.” The textile and garment industry flourished, so much so that two out of every ten shirts in the country came from Pinghu, inspiring many other townships to follow suit.

However, a few years ago, Pinghu suffered a once-in-a-century flood that caused devastating losses. Two major garment factories relocated, and the township lost its former advantage.

Hong Ruilin remained deeply concerned about Pinghu’s development.

After discussing plans with the elder Hong, Tang Ye found that upgrading and transforming the two garment factories would be an accessible breakthrough.

Tang Ye already had a clear idea: both Qinge and Bowman mainly produced suits and shirts for export. Many similar domestic factories faced severe homogenization competition and needed to transform.

His plan was to shift production toward women’s clothing and reorient the market from export to domestic sales.

From his interactions, Tang Ye judged that although Bowman Garment Factory was larger, its director Xu Jie would not cooperate with him.

Qinge Garment Factory was less powerful but had more room for maneuver.

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Qinge employed many disabled workers, and after her husband’s death, Gu Wenqin had single-handedly kept the factory running.

As a weaker player, Qinge needed help more and was more suitable for transformation.

Tang Ye found Gu Wenqin’s phone number in his work files. Calling from the office landline, he introduced himself, “This is Tang Ye. I’d like to talk with you about Qinge’s development...”

Gu Wenqin was surprised by the unexpected call. “Deputy Mayor Tang, is it urgent? How about tomorrow? I’m out delivering goods and won’t be back until seven or eight tonight.”

The sound of a truck horn came through the receiver, and Tang Ye knew she was telling the truth. “You have a night shift, right? I’ll wait for you to come back.”

“How about nine o’clock?” Gu Wenqin sighed with relief at the idea of meeting at the factory and sensed Tang Ye had something important to discuss.

“Okay. Take care and be safe.”

After hanging up, Tang Ye opened his computer, adjusted his pre-prepared proposal slightly, printed it, and slipped it into a file folder.

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Hong Ruilin had left a three-bedroom apartment in Pinghu for Tang Ye to stay in.

Night had fallen, the summer heat fading.

Qinge Garment Factory was a bit far from his lodging, so Tang Ye walked there, unknowingly entering a grove of white birch trees.

The moon shone brightly in a sparse sky, the lake’s surface sparkling. Aside from the chirping of insects, all was silent.

Suddenly, a piercing, torn sob reached his ears from not far away.

At first, Tang Ye thought it was a hallucination or the sounds of wild cats, dogs, or some supernatural creature.

But as the cries continued, he sensed something was wrong and carefully searched for the source.

Finally, he spotted a black sedan hidden in the shadow of two birch trees.

The car trembled slightly.

Moonlight, lakeside—fishing and playing the flute?

Tang Ye’s pupils dilated instantly.

He couldn’t help but think how extravagant people’s amusements had become.

Then, a chilling realization dawned—the increasingly urgent sound was a woman calling for help!

Tang Ye sprinted toward the car.