Chapter 39: Sometimes, Having a Code Is Better Than Having None!

A massive earthquake hit Pinghu Town.

Panic and anxiety rippled through the populace. After days of relentless interrogation, Xu Yiping finally cracked, confessing one by one to the crimes he had committed during his many years of service in Pinghu Town. The most shocking revelation was that Xu Yiping had orchestrated the chemical plant explosion specifically to pave his own way to power. He had originally only intended to stage an accident that would result in disciplinary action against the incumbent Party Secretary; he never expected it to lead to two deaths and multiple injuries. At the time, the local police station had found no evidence, and the matter had been swept under the rug. Furthermore, Xu Yiping was found to have had improper relationships with multiple women, owned several properties in the county and city, and was involved in the embezzlement of public funds.

Gao Zhanjun, Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee, was implicated in the scandal and was removed from his core position, sent to the People's Congress to await retirement. Gao, who had never imagined that the seemingly upright Xu Yiping could be such a scoundrel, was so infuriated he coughed up blood.

This sudden turn of events cleared the once-murky waters of the county’s power struggle. With the upcoming leadership transition and the County Party Secretary set to step down, the position was opening up. Gao Zhanjun had once been poised to compete with Du Chengfeng for the role, but that opportunity had clearly evaporated. Now, Du Chengfeng was the frontrunner for the seat of County Party Secretary. This rumor greatly excited Chen Zhihua, who had already successfully aligned himself with Du.

...

When Zheng Yaodong learned that Xu Jie had been arrested, he rushed to Pinghu Town in a panic. His driver honked the horn a few times at the entrance of the Boman Garment Factory, but the gate remained closed. The driver stepped out to check the guard booth and found it empty. Just then, a staff member in a police uniform walked out from the factory grounds.

"Who are you looking for?"

"We are here to see Factory Manager Xu. We had an appointment."

"Who are you, and what is your relationship to him?" The officer’s sharp eyes scanned the driver, making his skin crawl.

"We are Boman’s distributors!"

"Boman has been ordered to undergo rectification. Xu Jie is involved in illegal activities and is currently under investigation."

Hearing this, the driver hurried back to the car to report to Zheng Yaodong: "Boss, Xu Jie has been arrested."

Zheng Yaodong’s breath hitched. "Why was he arrested?"

"It sounds like he’s going to be sentenced," the driver whispered. "The police didn't give details, and I didn't dare ask."

Zheng Yaodong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had just wired a large sum of money to Xu Jie for a joint venture to buy land and build a factory. If Xu Jie went down, his money would effectively be thrown into the water. Zheng sat in the car and began making calls, finally reaching someone with inside information who worked in the county government office.

Upon hearing that Zheng had financial dealings with Xu Jie, the acquaintance immediately pointed out the risks. "Xu Jie’s case is very serious. It’s not just about hiring child labor; it involves a homicide case. Barring any surprises, he’ll never see the light of day again."

Zheng Yaodong was on pins and needles. "What about his uncle?"

The acquaintance replied with annoyance, "His uncle’s situation is grim; he’s under investigation by the Discipline Inspection Commission. I can’t go into details, but it involves many top county leaders. Why are you suddenly asking about this? You aren't involved in any business with Xu Jie, are you?"

Zheng Yaodong offered a bitter smile and confessed, "We just signed an investment contract!"

The acquaintance was astonished. "Then you’ll just have to accept the loss. Xu Jie looked flashy on the outside, but he was drowning in debt. In the last few days, creditors have swarmed the place, and the factory has been stripped bare."

As the dial tone hummed in his ear, Zheng Yaodong felt as though his soul had been ripped away. Who could have imagined that the wealth he had accumulated over many years would be lost due to a single lapse in judgment? He could only call his lawyer, though he knew the chances of recovering his losses were slim.

...

Tang Ye was heading to Chen Zhihua’s office when he ran into Zheng Yaodong, who was desperately trying to salvage his investment. Zheng’s demeanor was dejected, his former arrogance gone. Upon recognizing Tang Ye, a look of shame crossed his face. "Mayor Tang, hello!"

"Director Zheng, long time no see."

Tang Ye nodded politely and entered the office without further small talk. Zheng Yaodong was left hanging; he sighed in defeat and departed in frustration. If you don't hold an umbrella for someone when it’s pouring rain, why would you expect them to offer you a raincoat when it’s your turn to get soaked? He had only himself to blame for his arrogance and for betting on the wrong horse.

Chen Zhihua knew about the bad blood between Tang Ye and Zheng Yaodong. "That old fox Zheng Yaodong has been royally screwed by Xu Jie. Not only is his factory investment gone, but he also placed an order for ten million yuan worth of goods with Xu Jie. Now the money is gone, the goods can't be delivered, and he’s being sued by his own partners for breach of contract."

"Boman Garment Factory is facing bankruptcy. Even though Xu Jie is a criminal, a group of workers is now facing unemployment. I’ve spoken with Gu Wenqin, and she is willing to take on Boman’s employees."

Chen Zhihua looked at Tang Ye in surprise. "Boman has hundreds of employees. Can Qin-Ge really absorb that many people?" He had been worried that a Boman bankruptcy would become a public order issue, but he hadn't expected Tang Ye to have already planned for it.

Tang Ye placed a report on Chen Zhihua’s desk. Chen studied the data closely, his eyes widening. "This is Qin-Ge’s sales report?" In Chen’s memory, Qin-Ge had been crumbling, hanging on by a thread. He knew Tang Ye had been pushing for a transformation, but he hadn't realized the effect would be so immediate. Monthly sales had topped a million yuan! That would mean an annual output value exceeding ten million—a top-tier performance for Tianling County.

Tang Ye patiently analyzed the data for Chen. "These figures are broken down by week. You can certainly see the trend."

"Sales growth exploded in the second week and doubled every week since the third!" As a former accountant, Chen Zhihua saw the key immediately. "Did Qin-Ge find a special channel to move the goods?"

Tang Ye stubbed out his cigarette and said in a low voice, "That's right. The special channel is selling the products online."

Chen Zhihua had some knowledge of e-commerce, but he was skeptical. "Does anyone actually dare to buy things that way?"

Tang Ye smiled. "I was skeptical too, but the truth is that more and more people are becoming interested in online shopping, especially college students. Once this generation grows up, it will overturn traditional business models."

"With this sales trend, Qin-Ge’s current staff won't be enough. We plan to hire, and since Boman’s workers are already skilled, they can start working after a simple training session."

Chen Zhihua paced back and forth, rubbing his hands in excitement. "This solves a massive problem!" He admired Tang Ye’s ability from the bottom of his heart. In less than two months, he had revitalized a company on the brink of collapse!

Tang Ye continued to instill the benefits of the internet in Chen. "Many of our town’s companies have products suitable for online sales. Although the start is difficult, adding a sales channel is always a good thing. The main advantage is the low cost of entry—no rent, no decoration. A single computer is a storefront."

Though it sounded like a fantasy, under Tang Ye’s influence, Chen Zhihua began to feel the stirrings of ambition. "To revive the economy, we need vision and the courage to be pioneers. We should encourage Pinghu’s enterprises to adopt these new concepts and let them try boldly!"

...

Back in his office, Tang Ye called Gu Wenqin. "How are sales going?"

Gu Wenqin laughed happily. "I can't keep up! Yesterday we sold three hundred individual orders; I have to arrange for people to handle the packaging. The order volume is increasing steadily every day!"

With a profit margin of twenty yuan per piece, she was earning five or six thousand a day—far exceeding the profits from her old shirt-selling business.

"That's great. Since we’re just starting, you must ensure quality control. I just read a news report about poor-quality domestic lingerie and how inferior underwires can cause invisible harm."

Gu Wenqin explained patiently, "We are focusing on wireless shaping, using a 10.5cm high side wing. Even without the wire, they provide lift and support, and they look quite high-end."

Tang Ye remembered the message Lin Ziyang had left him on QQ. "Lin Ziyang will arrange for some models to take photos. Have a few of your best-looking designs ready."

Gu Wenqin smiled. "I’ve made a few samples based on the styles you provided. Lin Ziyang can come and pick them up whenever he likes."

Gu Wenqin handled things with such order that Tang Ye thought to himself that his judgment had been right. She was a practical, capable female entrepreneur. As for the Boman workers, Gu Wenqin immediately stated she would accept them under the same conditions as her current staff.

"Actually, I have my eye on the Boman factory buildings..."

Tang Ye chuckled. "And you say you aren't ambitious! Wait a little longer; we’ll seize the opportunity when it arises."

After hanging up, Gu Wenqin felt warm inside. Ever since she met Tang Ye, everything had become smooth sailing! Not only had the factory undergone a complete transformation, but her nemesis, Xu Jie, had been sent off to work in the prison textile shop. She was no longer walking this path alone.

...

After ending the call with Gu Wenqin, Tang Ye dialed Lin Ziyang. In 2005, while online shopping was still in its infancy, there wasn't as much product saturation as there would be later. For items like lingerie, which lacked direct competitors, they didn't need to pay for platform advertising tools; traffic would flow in naturally. Plus, Lin Ziyang had some cleverness; by having models take photos and posting them on detail pages, and by planting ads in forums and message boards, he was bringing in external traffic.

"I just looked at the product page. A few of the photos are too revealing."

"But it’s effective!"

"I know you want to use that to grab attention, and it certainly builds popularity quickly, but there’s a risk. What if someone reports it?"

"If someone reports it, I’ll just delete it!"

Tang Ye advised him earnestly, "The internet has a memory. We should operate above board from the start. We might grow a bit slower, but every step will be on solid ground. Those revealing photos might attract traffic, but they aren't our target demographic."

Lin Ziyang took a deep breath. "I understand. I’ll delete all the problematic photos later."

"No need to delete them. Just pixelate the revealing parts. Sometimes, censored images are more intriguing than uncensored ones!"

Lin Ziyang: "..."

Mayor Tang’s tone was perfectly serious, but the ideas he came up with were quite twisted!