Chapter 072: My Boss Is a True Polymath

Time flew by, and the following days passed in tranquility, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring. According to the information Zhang Tianfeng received, Xu Kuangdao had vanished without a trace after heading to Zhucheng, as though he had evaporated into thin air.

When villains fall eerily silent, it usually means one of two things: they’ve either met an untimely end, or they’re plotting something sinister. Zhang Tianfeng kept this maxim close to heart, always maintaining his guard against Xu Kuangdao. The rest of his energy was devoted to the factory’s renovation, the expansion of the Bole Employment Agency, and investigations into the neighboring factories.

These efforts bore considerable fruit in just a few days.

First, the entire Tangwan Town fell under the sway of the Bole Employment Agency. Some factories, unable to hold out, voluntarily sought collaboration with Zhang Tianfeng. The remaining few were still struggling, but it was clear they wouldn’t last much longer.

Second, thanks to Bole’s expansion, Zhang Tianfeng easily gathered comprehensive information on every factory in Tangwan Town. He meticulously sorted and archived these details for future contingencies.

Lastly, on the sixth day, the factory’s renovation was completed. It now boasted a top-tier fire suppression system, the strictest internal regulations, and Zhang Tianfeng had made a point of familiarizing himself with the management, quietly increasing their salaries to stabilize the core team.

In the meantime, Ding Yan also made progress. He established connections with manufacturers of toy-making equipment and delivered three boatloads of materials needed for toy production, ensuring operations could continue for a while.

On the seventh day, the toy factory resumed operations. The sound of firecrackers celebrating the event echoed throughout the town.

Spurred on by the superior benefits compared to other factories, the workers were brimming with energy, eagerly embracing the new production policies and throwing themselves into their work.

The first day of reopening passed uneventfully. The factory ran smoothly, and with sixteen machines operating at full capacity, more than thirty thousand finished toys were produced. All were collected by a company named "Silver Mill."

According to Qin Aiguo, this client had been brought in by that Hong Kong spy, essentially turning the toy factory into their contract manufacturer.

Logically, now that Zhang Tianfeng had taken over the company, he should have ended the partnership. However, just the day before reopening, Silver Mill sent someone to request that production of the “Transformers” and “Tinplate Green Frog” toys continue.

They explained that their previous contract still had half a month left, and since they hadn’t found another manufacturer, they hoped to rely on Zhang Tianfeng’s factory.

Zhang Tianfeng readily agreed. It was profitable and didn’t involve managing sales channels, so why not?

A supplementary agreement was signed, and production resumed. The first day back was spent entirely on manufacturing, loading, and unloading goods.

The next morning, Zhang Tianfeng arrived at the factory bright and early.

“Good morning, Boss Zhang!”

“Morning, everyone! Have you had breakfast? Don’t forget to eat in the morning.”

“Yes, we have, thank you for your concern!”

Exchanging greetings, they entered the office. Before Zhang Tianfeng could sit down, the accountant, Zou Guiyue, came in holding a bank slip.

“Boss, Silver Mill’s remittance has come through, but it’s only fifty thousand yuan—far short of what the agreement stipulates.”

The contract specified that within fifteen days, Silver Mill would receive 360,000 Transformers toys, 100,000 Tinplate Green Frogs, a million glass marbles, and plastic swords and knives, for a total value of 560,000 yuan.

Per the agreement, once the first shipment was sent out, Silver Mill was to settle the remaining balance for the first batch and pay the deposit for the second, a total of 100,000 yuan.

“Give me a moment to make a call. You go ahead with your work.”

Zhang Tianfeng dialed Silver Mill’s number, but after a few busy tones, the call disconnected. He then sent a message via his pager. Half an hour passed with no response.

Frowning, he went to the finance office. “Keep pressing them for the payment. I’ll give them just one day. If there’s no response after that, the contract is void.”

After instructing the finance team, he visited the production floor and told the team leaders to reduce output.

Of the fifty thousand yuan sent by Silver Mill, only thirty thousand was for production costs, which the factory could handle in half a day at its current efficiency.

Slow down—produce only as much as you’re paid for. Even if Silver Mill reneged, the factory wouldn’t suffer heavy losses.

Meanwhile, in a hotel in Zhucheng, Xu Kuangdao received a call and grinned.

“Brother, you were spot on. That punk Zhang Tianfeng is already slowing down production.”

“He thinks he’s clever, but there’s no way he suspects that Silver Mill is your company.”

Silver Mill, officially Silver Mill Linlang Company, was a toy distribution intermediary set up by Chen Yuanhua. Chen disliked bringing risk close—building a toy factory required heavy investment in equipment and facilities, and if things went south, there’d be no escape.

Instead, he founded a toy company to place orders with various factories, earning profit from the price difference. If things went wrong, he could simply walk away, leaving the shell company behind.

This cunning strategy brought him at least half a million yuan in annual income. But now, to bring down Zhang Tianfeng, he was willing to destroy his own company.

After signing the supplementary agreement with Zhang Tianfeng, Silver Mill had already emptied out and dissolved. From this point on, any additional production would be a loss for Zhang Tianfeng, who would have to find his own buyers.

A contract? What did a contract matter? It was just a shell company. Let them sue—no matter how many top lawyers from Hong Kong they hired, it would be useless.

“But the real blow is yet to come. Soon, he’ll discover that the fifty thousand yuan remittance slip from accounting is also fake.”

“The accountant’s gone, the client’s gone, and I’ve poached his sales channels. Let’s see what he’ll do now!”

Such was the cost of these calm days—the peace before the storm. This time, Chen Yuanhua planned to unleash a tempest that would crush Zhang Tianfeng beneath the waves.

Zhang Tianfeng reacted swiftly. Even before he lost contact with Silver Mill, he remained watchful.

At 10 a.m., he noticed the accountant had disappeared during a bathroom break. Security footage revealed she’d already left by car.

“Boss, what do we do now?” Gao Ran whispered.

“Act like nothing has happened. I’ll take over.”

He couldn’t make any announcements; otherwise, the staff—who’d only just regained a sense of stability—would panic, and production would be delayed.

“You’ll take over? You can handle accounting?” Gao Ran was stunned.

“I can do more than that. I can be the accountant, the sales manager, even the secretary!”

At his peak, Zhang Tianfeng had juggled five roles: company boss, accountant, sales manager, receptionist, and aftersales support.

Life’s hardships had forged this versatility in him.

Taking the financial documents back to his office, Zhang Tianfeng said, “Gao Ran, make me a cup of jasmine tea.”

By the time the tea arrived, he was already fully immersed in work. Watching him write and make calls simultaneously, Gao Ran’s astonishment only grew.

She’d thought she knew him well, but clearly, there was much more to Zhang Tianfeng than met the eye.

He could do accounting, handle sales, and even... Well, who knew what else this man was capable of!