Chapter 35: Building Dreams, Blocking Blows
Blueprints and Ambition
Back in Kaiyuan, the fifty-bike order had lit a spark no one wanted to extinguish. The assembly floor felt cramped, and workers were tripping over each other during peak hours.
Li Wei unrolled a set of rough blueprints on Rui's desk.
"This is just a draft," he said. "Double the floor space, a separate paint room, and a small warehouse. We can go from twenty bikes a month to sixty."
Rui traced the lines with his finger. "It's… ambitious. But we'll need funding, and the bank still thinks we're a gamble."
Li Wei smirked. "Then we'll make them believe."
Haotian's Dealer Raid
Just as they started scouting land, word came in from Liu Peng:
"Haotian's offering my dealership an exclusive supply deal — double your delivery speed, and they'll repaint my shop in their colors."
It wasn't just Liu Peng. Three other small dealers in neighboring towns had received the same offer.
"They're trying to buy loyalty before we can build it," Xu Lian said bitterly.
Rui thought for a moment. "Then we show them loyalty can't be bought. Deliver the next batch early, even if it means we work through the night."
School's Curveball
That same week, Rui's homeroom teacher called him in.
"You've been missing more classes lately," she said, folding her arms. "If your grades drop again, you'll be barred from the regional academic competition."
Rui had almost forgotten — the competition's prize was a scholarship that could help pay for factory equipment. Losing it would mean more debt.
"I'll make time," he promised.
She raised an eyebrow. "You can't run a factory if you fail school, Chen Rui."
Late-Night Resolve
That night, Rui stayed at the factory until midnight checking bikes for the early delivery. Then, under the flickering dorm light, he cracked open his textbooks.
The blueprint for the bigger factory lay on his desk beside the pages of history and math — both needing his attention.
One was for passing exams.
The other was for building his future.
Neither could fail.