Chen Wei met Xiao Ru at a small breakfast place near Chen Group headquarters. She was already eating congee when he arrived, laptop open beside her bowl.
"You look tired," she said.
"Early morning. Could not sleep."
"Nervous about the project?"
"Something like that."
She pushed a menu toward him. "Eat. We have a lot to cover."
Chen Wei ordered and listened as Xiao Ru outlined the manufacturing division details. Three facilities. Two hundred and forty workers total. Production targets consistently missed for six months. Quality complaints rising.
"Director Wang is desperate," Xiao Ru said. "His performance review is in eight weeks. If productivity does not improve, he gets demoted or fired."
"That explains why he agreed so quickly."
"It also means he will micromanage everything you
