Chapter 26 (Revised): The Counterattack
Present Day – Months After Restructuring
At just seventeen, Chen Rui wasn't supposed to be sitting at the head of the operations meeting table.
He still wore his school uniform most mornings. Some of the older managers still muttered behind his back, calling him "the kid with a desk."
But after Deng Kai's betrayal and the attempted sabotage, no one questioned who was really in charge anymore.
The First Bold Step
Rui unrolled a blueprint across the table.
"This is the Kaiyuan 125cc," he said. "Our next model. We're going to redesign the engine core from scratch. Better cooling, better fuel efficiency, quieter under load."
Xu Lian blinked. "Redesign? Our molds are from 1988."
"Then we melt the old molds."
Li Wei leaned forward. "You're serious?"
Rui looked him in the eye. "I don't want to patch Haotian's old designs. I want to beat them."
There was silence.
Then a murmur of uncertain agreement.
Making the Impossible Possible
That weekend, Rui skipped school.
Instead, he took a train to Hangzhou, wearing his father's old suit, and met with a university lab director he'd contacted through one of his few tech-savvy classmates.
"I'm not even eighteen," he admitted in the first five minutes. "But I run a motorcycle factory. I want to rent your engine testing rig and your thermal imaging tools."
The professor raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this isn't for a school project?"
"I'll pay by the hour," Rui said. "And I'll let your students co-author the design improvement report."
That got a smirk.
Two days later, the lab said yes.
Back at Kaiyuan
He returned to the factory with test data and a three-part plan:
Prototype a new cylinder head and piston set with borrowed lab access.
Train one young engineer from Kaiyuan in CAD modeling, even if they had to teach him at night.
Start building the "silent model" in secret, naming it Project Morning Star.
He called it "silent" not just because of the engine noise — but because no one outside the walls would hear about it until it was ready.
The Factory Begins to Shift
Li Wei rolled out a new internal slogan:
"Own the Steel. Build the Future."
At first, it felt like a joke. But then:
Wages started being paid on time.
Overtime was cut back without layoffs.
Workers who suggested mechanical improvements got public credit and small bonuses.
They weren't getting rich. But for the first time in years, they felt like they were building something — not just surviving.
A Phone Call from Haotian
One evening, as Rui reviewed budget sheets, a call came in from an unlisted number.
"Chen Rui?" a smooth voice asked.
"Yes."
"This is Gao Yuan. Assistant VP of Haotian. I've heard your little operation's still breathing."
"Still breathing," Rui said calmly, "and gearing up."
"We know about your Kaiyuan 125 prototype. It's cute."
"You should see it when it bites," Rui replied.
A pause. Then a click.
A Conversation in the Dark
Later that night, Rui sat beside his father on the roof of their building, staring at the factory chimney in the distance.
"They're watching us now," he said.
Chen Jianhua nodded. "Good. Means you've finally become a threat."
Rui glanced down at his scraped knuckles — the result of a slipped wrench during morning repairs.
"I'm not strong enough yet."
"Not yet," his father said. "But you're sharper than I ever was. And you're not done growing."