I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 65 Dongfeng Injection Molding Plant

Zhang Beichuan, using an excuse to leave first, went straight to the front desk.

Two receptionists dressed in cheongsams stood up in unison.

Good evening, sir!

"Please help me calculate the bill for Shuiyun Inn."

A few seconds later, one of the receptionists said, "Sir, the bill for Shuiyunjian has already been paid."

Zhang Beichuan was slightly taken aback. Ma Ben and Wang Ping had never left his sight. When did they buy them?

"Okay, thank you."

Li Yue, who was restless all night, would occasionally take the opportunity to go to the toilet and leave the private room to wander around the entrance of Shuiyunjian.

This time, however, she didn't see Zhang Beichuan through the observation window of the private room and hurriedly ran out.

Just as Zhang Beichuan was waiting for the elevator to come up, a voice came from behind him.

"etc."

Hearing the sound, Zhang Beichuan turned around, glanced at it, strode into the elevator, and pressed the close button.

Just before the elevator doors closed, Li Yue sprinted to stop it and squeezed inside.

The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only Zhang Beichuan and Li Yue in the cramped space, the air thick with the scent of perfume and alcohol.

"Please don't tell anyone about what happened today." Li Yue opened her mouth, her voice dry, breaking the slight hum of the elevator descending.

Seeing that he wasn't going to pay attention to her, Li Yue continued.

"Don't take what I said at the coffee shop today to heart. It's just a blind date; everyone wants to present their best side, and sometimes... things get a little embellished."

Zhang Beichuan still didn't open his eyes, leaning against the elevator and rubbing his temples.

I drank a lot tonight, and the aftereffects are still surging up.

The silence made Li Yue even more anxious. The numbers on the elevator display slowly jumped, and time was running out as they descended from the third floor to the second.

"I'm only here part-time, just temporarily helping out." She spoke quickly, trying to explain, "Really! I have a regular job, I'm just short on money lately, I only do this occasionally..."

"bite--"

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and the doors opened.

Zhang Beichuan finally opened his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over her face, which was slightly flushed with nervousness, before he stepped outside.

"Zhang Beichuan!"

In a moment of desperation, Li Yue grabbed his arm and deliberately rubbed it against her chest.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this, especially not to my aunt. I still have my pride. If you don't tell, just wait until I get off work, give me your address, and I'll come find you."

Zhang Beichuan turned to look at her. The girl who had talked about ambition in the coffee shop that afternoon, with a scrutinizing and superior look in her eyes, was now only filled with panic and pleading.

The stark contrast made him feel both absurd and somewhat bored.

He's not a stray dog ​​on the street, trying to pounce on everyone he sees.

"Let go." Zhang Beichuan's voice was low but clear. "I have no interest in your private affairs. I haven't seen you today, and you haven't seen me."

After saying that, he turned and walked past, heading straight for the KTV's magnificent but empty lobby entrance.

Li Yue stood frozen at the elevator entrance, watching him disappear behind the revolving door. She was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, an indescribable sense of shame and loss welled up inside her.

His calm, unwavering gaze made her feel even more ashamed than any direct mockery.

Stepping out of Wanrui KTV, a gust of wind cleared Zhang Beichuan's head considerably. While waiting for a car by the roadside, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

Li Yue's flustered face flashed through his mind, and he forced a smile.

It's perfectly normal for people to wear different masks and act out different roles for money, for face, or for all sorts of other reasons.

Isn't he the same?

In 1986, he played the all-powerful Boss Zhang, but in 2026, he's just an ordinary young entrepreneur.

After returning home, on a whim, Zhang Beichuan went back to the warehouse in 1986.

The drowsiness brought on by the alcohol vanished instantly. He locked the warehouse door again, glanced at the barely dawning sky, and went straight to the bus station.

Yesterday in the city, he heard that an injection molding factory had gone out of business and was considering how to deal with it.

This is an opportunity for him.

We arrived in Guocheng City at 9:00 AM.

Following the address he had found out last time, Zhang Beichuan searched all the way to the industrial zone in the west of the city.

This area is mostly comprised of old factories built in the 1970s and 80s. The red brick factory walls are mottled, and the slogans on the walls urging people to work hard and quickly have faded.

There are a series of factories, including injection molding plants, hardware factories, and cement plants, and the overall scale looks spectacular.

Dongfeng Injection Molding Factory is located at the westernmost end of the industrial zone. The factory gate consists of two rusty iron gates, with a white sign with black lettering on the left that reads "Dongfeng Injection Molding Products Factory".

The factory gate was deserted, with only a gatekeeper in his fifties sitting in the guardhouse, looking down at a newspaper.

Zhang Beichuan knocked on the window of the gatehouse. "Hello, sir."

The gatekeeper looked up, adjusted his reading glasses, and sized up the young man in front of him.

"Who should I look for?"

"I'd like to speak with the person in charge of the factory to discuss something," Zhang Beichuan said, taking out a cigarette and offering it to him.

The security guard took the cigarette, his expression softening somewhat, but he still shook his head.

"Young man, you're late. The factory is almost shut down; the managers haven't been coming much these past few days."

"I came here specifically because I heard about this," Zhang Beichuan said, then asked, "Could you tell me more? This factory looks quite large, why is it shutting down?"

The gatekeeper sighed and lit a cigarette.

"Sigh! No orders. Our factory used to mainly make plastic casings for electrical appliance factories in the city, but then they upgraded their equipment and set up their own injection molding workshop, and our business stopped."

He exhaled a smoke ring, his tone tinged with regret.

"Two years ago, the factory tried to produce daily necessities, such as washbasins and buckets, but the quality couldn't compare to the goods from the south, so they couldn't be sold. The cash flow dried up, and we couldn't even pay wages."

Zhang Beichuan's heart skipped a beat. "What about the equipment in the factory?"

"The equipment is still there, all in pretty good condition, but without orders, even the best equipment is useless." The security guard finished speaking, then looked at him warily. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Sir, don't misunderstand. I just heard that your factory seems to be having some trouble, so I came to inquire and see if there's any chance of taking over the contract."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper's eyes widened slightly, and he looked Zhang Beichuan up and down again.

They seemed to be judging whether the young man was serious or just boasting.

"Young man, you...you really mean that?"

Zhang Beichuan nodded, his tone sincere.

"Grandpa, the factory is so big and has all the equipment. It's such a waste to just shut it down. If there's a real opportunity to contract it out and resume production, it would be good for the factory and the workers. That's why I'm here to learn more."

The gatekeeper was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"That's true, but the workers' wages are still in arrears. The machines are still usable, but they've been shut down for so long, they need to be repaired. It's tough."

"I understand all of that, which is why I wanted to talk to the person in charge in person." Zhang Beichuan offered a second cigarette. "Sir, would it be convenient for you to give me directions, or tell me which leader might be at the factory recently? I'd like to go and pay them a visit."

The gatekeeper took the cigarette, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his voice.

"The workers haven't received their wages, and the leaders have been hiding at the municipal government these past few days trying to find a solution. There's really no one around these days. Why don't you come back in a few days?"

Zhang Beichuan thought about it and realized it made sense; the workers weren't getting paid, and the company couldn't just ignore it.

The factory had no choice but to look for solutions from higher authorities.

"Okay, I'll come back in a few days."