Chapter 80: Arrogance?
In the end, Song Guangyuan followed Li Shaohua to the tool test site.
In his heart, Song Guangyuan didn't really take Liu Shang's "grand idea" very seriously.
Nowadays, there were countless service companies in the Fengcheng Oilfield, all with their own sets of profile control and chemical mixing equipment, and most of them were similar.
Everyone wanted to achieve what Liu Shang had designed: to consolidate the entire process from initiation to dispensing at ground level. Was it really true that no one had succeeded?
For so many years, so many companies and capable people had failed to realize this idea. For a freshman of Liu Shang's age, it seemed far too difficult.
However, when Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong had approached him about it before, Song Guangyuan had been, just as Li Shaohua said, indulging Liu Shang.
Since Mr. Zhong and Xu Tiande, two senior experts, had thrown their weight behind the project, he had decided to let them do as they pleased.
But now that Li Shaohua had mentioned the current situation, Song Guangyuan couldn't ignore it.
After all, the company was a team, and unity and stability came first.
There were quite a few people at the experiment site that day.
In addition to Xu Tiande, Mr. Zhong, Yang Xu, and other mid-level company leaders, even the owner and an engineer from the machining factory had rushed over.
Seeing Song Guangyuan arrive, Zheng Yiqian, the owner of one of the largest processing factories in Fengcheng, hurriedly greeted him with a smile and enthusiastically extended his hand for a handshake.
"Oh, President Song, I didn't expect you to come!"
"Today at noon, no matter what, you have to give this Old Zheng some face and let me host a banquet in your honor, our great patron!"
Song Guangyuan also smiled and shook his hand, joking with him familiarly.
"I must say, Boss Zheng, you're a man who never wastes a second and chases every penny. Why are you so free today that you've come all the way out to our field site?"
Zheng Yiqian also smiled. "President Song, are you teasing me again?"
"I, Zheng Yiqian, earn my money the hard way, on thin margins. Compared to you big bosses in the oil field, I'm leagues behind!"
"I'm here today because I'm curious to see what this device designed by Mr. Zhong and your Engineer Liu is all about."
"I hear that Engineer Liu is still a first-year student at the University of Oil?"
After receiving confirmation from the others, Boss Zheng added meaningfully:
"Hehe, although Engineer Liu is young, he talks a big game."
"This Old Zheng has been in the oil field machining business for most of my life."
"I am very skeptical about this set of tools and the effect Engineer Liu wants to achieve."
"But just a few days ago, your Engineer Liu actually told me that my eyesight was poor and that I couldn't even understand the blueprints right in front of me!"
"Ah, this is what they call youthful frivolity. So naive before life has knocked you down a bit!"
What Zheng Yiqian said was true. A few days ago, he had been condescending while talking to Liu Shang and looking at his blueprint designs, leveraging his age and experience.
So, unsurprisingly, he was verbally bested by Liu Shang, which left Zheng Yiqian furious.
But Liu Shang was the client, Party A, and Mr. Zhong was right there beside him, so Zheng Yiqian had no choice but to swallow his anger.
Unexpectedly running into Liu Shang's boss, Song Guangyuan, today, Zheng Yiqian wanted to stir up some trouble for the young man.
But to his great surprise, Song Guangyuan, known for his iron-fisted and strict management, showed no sign of displeasure after hearing his little complaint.
Instead, he laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Haha, Old Zheng, Liu Shang has a wild way of talking, doesn't he? It's irritating."
"Don't feel bad, he treats me, his boss, and Old Pan, the manager of the third factory, the exact same way."
"But look, even Factory Director Pan and I have put up with it, so you should too!"
Upon hearing Song Guangyuan's words, Zheng Yiqian's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
At first, he thought Song Guangyuan was joking with him, but looking at the expressions of the people around them, it seemed what he said was actually true!
*Good heavens,* he thought, *if that's the case, who is this Liu Shang to have Song Guangyuan and especially Pan Qingfeng in his corner?*
*What kind of backing does this Liu Shang have? Is he connected to the leaders of Fengcheng Oilfield? Or did he come straight from Beijing?*
While everyone was talking, the assembly of the equipment on the other side was completed, and Liu Shang personally pressed the start button.
According to Liu Shang's design, under normal circumstances, water from the storage tank should jet to the top of the dispensing tank once the motor started.
But now, after Liu Shang hit the button, there was only the constant roar of the motor. Not a single drop of water appeared.
This was definitely not normal.
Just as Liu Shang frowned and ordered everyone to disassemble the device again, Mr. Zhong and Xu Tiande, watching from the side, showed hidden worry on their faces.
As for Yang Xu and the others, who had been pessimistic about Liu Shang from the start, a sneering smile appeared at the corners of their mouths.
On the other side, seeing the situation, Zheng Yiqian shook his head with a knowing sigh.
"See? Just like I said before."
"I am not optimistic about Engineer Liu's tool design at all."
"For a tank that tall, the lift from this set of motors is simply not enough!"
Song Guangyuan didn't react much to his words, nor did his expression change.
In truth, he also didn't believe the effect Liu Shang and Mr. Zhong were hoping for could be achieved.
However, Liu Shang was still young. It wouldn't be a bad thing for him to suffer a small setback like this early on.
At this moment, Liu Shang walked up to Zheng Yiqian and the engineer from his factory, carrying a valve and frowning.
"I say, Boss Zheng, take a good look at this valve your workers processed."
Seeing Liu Shang's expression, Zheng Yiqian and the engineer took the valve from him.
At a glance, their expressions changed instantly.
The valve was installed backwards!
What should have been the open position was closed, and the closed position was open!
The reason Liu Shang's start button had no effect was because the pipeline was completely sealed.
Seeing this, Zheng Yiqian blushed and apologized profusely.
"Oops, the valve is installed backwards!"
"I don't know who did this work. What a joke!"
"Engineer Liu, President Song, I'm truly sorry. I'll be sure to punish him severely when I get back!"
"I'll make an example of him!"
After this little episode, Liu Shang once again ordered the men to reassemble the device and then hit the start button again.
This time, with the roar of the motor, water jets finally appeared at the top of the dispensing tank.
But! The water's flow rate and pressure were very poor, and at this level, it was completely inadequate for the needs of normal construction and chemical mixing.
It meant that Liu Shang's design was a failure!
This time, even Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong sighed helplessly.
The expressions on the faces of Yang Xu and the others were a sight to behold. They seized the opportunity to mock and lecture Liu Shang.
"Hey, Liu Shang, don't be discouraged that this experiment failed. We can always try again next time."
"That's right. Why do they call it an experiment? Because success isn't guaranteed."
"That's how it is in our oil field, especially in mechanical tools. There are no shortcuts. You have to overcome obstacles one step at a time."
"Liu Shang, we entered the oil field many years before you. We've experienced more failures than you've seen days in this field."
"It's good for a young person to be hardworking and confident, but it's even better to be humble."
"Where in this world do you find a good thing like succeeding at everything on the first try?"
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