CHAPTER 619: CHAPTER 586: HAIDU PORT 2

Does she know the current state of Sea Star?

Does she care about this company that supported her for so many years?

No one knows the answer...

Old Zhang, who had been with the company the longest, had a face etched with the sea winds and the passage of time. His thin fingers unconsciously caressed the old ledger on the table, as if he could feel the dust of the past.

"Xiao Lei, back when President Jiang founded Sea Star... heh, it wasn’t much better than now. You weren’t around then; when the policy news changed a bit, it was like falling off a ’cliff’!

The investors who were once breaking down the doors, the land speculators, the engineers... they ran faster than the receding tide! Overnight, Haidu emptied; you wouldn’t see a person on the streets, barely even a stray dog, so empty it gave you the creeps!

At that time, not only did President Jiang not run, she instead ’added to her position’ like she was picking up junk? She bought the rotten, stinking warehouse next door! Renovating, leasing sea areas, setting up aquaculture farms... so much money thrown in, it was truly surprising to see... Outsiders just thought she was caught and unwilling to let go, a fool. But those of us who stayed understood! Back then, how many locals who relied on docks and warehouses for their livelihood were knocked out cold by this storm?

The investors fled, the jobs were gone, the money from selling land was either spent or nearly run out... life was simply untenable! At this point, President Jiang took over the warehouse, registered the company, recruited workers... Although the wages weren’t high, it at least provided a lifeline, a meal for hundreds of families!"

There seemed to be a faint gleam in his cloudy eyes: "Sea Star... the name sounds small, but at the time, it was the only light in this ’Ghost City’! Her investment, seen by everyone else as ’not a good plan,’ nevertheless steadied people’s hearts and really... eased the financial pressure on many people! In their hearts, people were grateful to her!

But the result? Who could have thought? Five or six years, right? President Jiang... she managed to steer the ship into the storm back then, so how... how could she just let go and leave the ship to sink now? She said the tide would come back? ... But even if the tide really returned... could this ship of ours... this ship she built by hand and then abandoned by hand... does it have time to wait for her?"

Lei Ran opened his mouth, unable to speak.

He had joined the company ten years ago. As a Haidu person who had gone to drift in the Imperial City early on, he was capable and developed well over there. Unfortunately, after several elders in his family passed in succession, his remaining elderly father was determined to stay in Haidu.

Being filial, he had no choice but to decide to return and develop there.

At that time, Sea Star Company was hiring, and President Jiang valued him, fighting against all opinions to make him the manager.

For this trust, he dedicated ten years of his efforts, applying the skills he honed in the Imperial City to this maritime relic.

Sorting out accounts, optimizing aquaculture, painfully breaking into sales gaps during policy winters, he steered the company like a helmsman through market waves, bringing together employees unwilling to leave... through sheer stubbornness and dedication, after President Jiang broke off contact unilaterally, he struggled to hold out for six years...

But now...

Old Zhang spoke painfully: "Xiao Lei... without you, Sea Star wouldn’t have lasted until today... we’ve all seen it."

His voice, like a dull knife, carried a near-death-like despair, slicing through Lei Ran’s tense nerves.

"But Xiao Lei... we really can’t hold on anymore! Bank loans, aquaculture accounts, employee wages, these we can put aside for now, but can the right to use the sea area wait?! I remember clearly... the leasing period is up this year!

Renewal requires money, a lot of money, and re-approval, not to mention the Ocean Bureau’s assessment; all sorts of qualifications require funds... President Jiang, where is she?! She invested so much into that land down there, seeing it... about to become a scrap of paper!

... Where is she?!

The desperate questioning buzzed in the deathly silent office, like a needle, piercing through the last balloon of strength Lei Ran held up.

Xiao Wang, eyes red, choked on his words: "Manager Lei, I know you did your best... but we... we can’t afford to waste anymore! Someone from the aquaculture farm quietly asked me yesterday; he hasn’t been paid in four months, his family urgently needs money... I... I don’t know what to say..."

Lei Ran leaned against the cold edge of the table, his fingers dug deep into his palm, his throat dry and in pain, "What about you all? Do you want to leave too?"

No one directly replied.

Silence was more powerful than any words!

Finally, Old Li spoke up with difficulty: "Xiao Lei, everyone... can’t hold on any longer. Wives and kids need to eat, the elders at home need medical care... Sea Star... Sea Star... I’m very grateful for the good President Jiang did back then, but now..."