Chapter 36: Racing the Clock
Two Days Early
The welding sparks didn't stop for three days straight. Even the paint crew skipped their usual lunch breaks. By the fifth night, the final batch was strapped down and ready to go.
"We're delivering to Liu Peng two days early," Rui told the team, barely hiding his grin. "And the others will get theirs a day after."
When they rolled into Wenzhou at sunrise, Liu Peng laughed out loud.
"Haotian can keep their promises — I'll keep the supplier who keeps me."
A Test of the Mind
The morning after the delivery, Rui was sitting under a buzzing fluorescent light, pencil in hand, facing the history section of the regional competition.
One question read:
"Discuss how industrial modernization influenced political reform in East Asia."
Rui's mind leapt to Kaiyuan's own struggles — the push for new equipment, the fight against entrenched rivals, the way progress threatened old power. He wrote until his wrist ached.
When the results were posted, he was in the top ten — enough for the scholarship.
Whispers in the Market
But victory at the competition couldn't stop what was brewing on the streets.
Flyers started appearing at dealerships:
"Warning: Kaiyuan Motorcycles — Poor Brake Quality, Unsafe for Long Rides"
No source, no proof — just bold letters and a Haotian sales pitch on the back.
Customers began asking uneasy questions.
"It's just paper," Li Wei growled.
"It's poison," Rui corrected. "We'll need to show people the truth."
Counterpunch
That weekend, Rui organized a public demo in Wenzhou — free test rides for anyone who brought a driver's license. Mechanics stood by, explaining the bike's safety features.
By the end of the day, half the riders left with purchase slips.
If Haotian wanted a smear war, Rui was ready to fight it with open roads.