As Ma Zhaoxian had said, the merger between the two companies moved slowly. In May, they had bustled about with intense activity—testing Li Ye here, coming over to inspect there—but later on, they seemed to lose steam. For nearly two months, they did not contact Li Ye at all.
If Li Ye had not known that the hidden contest of strength was still ongoing, that both sides were still weighing their options, he would have thought this merger was going to die in the womb.
Still, news that the Light Vehicle Company was going to merge and upgrade gradually spread.
At the end of July, Li Ye received a call from his classmate Chen Xiaoling. "Hello, Li Ye, I heard you got promoted again? You got promoted and didn't even tell everyone, so we could celebrate for you. That's really not being a friend!"
Li Ye said with amusement, "You've got the nerve to say that about me? Among all of us classmates, who got promoted faster than you? You secretly rose one rank, then before anyone noticed, two ranks."
Chen Xiaoling had been assigned to the Organization Department. She might not have risen as quickly as Li Ye, but she certainly was not slow. To outsiders, the mechanisms of promotion were like clouds and mist over distant mountains, but to people like her, they were as transparent as glass. She could figure out roughly which month every key juncture would come. A delay of three months counted as a major mistake.
And after several years of influence from her work environment, Chen Xiaoling had developed a somewhat "overbearing" way of speaking.
"Quit running your mouth, Li Ye. A few of us classmates want to celebrate for you today. Are you going to honor us with your presence?"
"Of course,